Structural Relationship Modeling of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Symptoms and self-Ambivalence: The Mediating Role of Intolerance of Uncertainty

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Assistant Professor of Psychology, Department of Psychology, Faculty of humanities, Khayyam University, Mashhad, Iran

2 Msc, Department of Psychology, Faculty of humanities, Khayyam University, Mashhad, Iran

Abstract

Aim: This study aimed to examine the mediating role of intolerance of uncertainty in the relationship between self-ambivalence and obsessive-compulsive symptoms in an analog sample.
 
Methods: This descriptive-correlational study involved adults over 18 years old, with a sample size of 718 individuals selected through convenience sampling. Participants completed the Ambivalence Scale (Bhar & Kyrios, 2007), the 12-item Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale (Carleton et al., 2007), and the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Goodman et al., 1989). Data analysis was performed using structural equation modeling with Amos-24 and SPSS-27 software.
 
Results: The findings indicated a significant positive relationship between self-ambivalence and obsessive-compulsive symptoms (p < 0.01). Additionally, intolerance of uncertainty was significantly negatively related to both self-ambivalence and obsessive-compulsive symptoms (p < 0.01). Intolerance of uncertainty was found to mediate the relationship between self-ambivalence and the severity of obsessive-compulsive symptoms (p < 0.01).
 
Conclusion: High levels of self-ambivalence are associated with increased intensity of obsessive-compulsive symptoms due to reduced tolerance for uncertainty. Self-ambivalence leads to a focus on oneself and diminished attention to the environment, thereby decreasing tolerance for uncertainty and contributing to the emergence of obsessive symptoms. These findings suggest that obsessive symptoms may be an individual's attempt to manage self-ambivalence.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

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