Pathological narcissism and relationship obsessive-compulsive disorder (ROCD) symptoms: Exploring the role of vulnerable narcissism.

OBJECTIVE: Relationship obsessive-compulsive disorder (ROCD) symptoms, which include obsessive preoccupation, doubts, and compulsive behaviors focusing on the suitability of the relationship and/or partner, have been receiving increasing clinical, theoretical, and empirical attention. This clinical variant of OCD is associated with significant functional, personal, and dyadic consequences. ROCD symptoms have also been linked to several cognitive vulnerability factors, such as maladaptive relationship catastrophization. However, little is known about the connection between ROCD symptoms and specific personality traits. In this study, we examine whether vulnerable narcissistic personality traits may constitute a general vulnerability factor for ROCD symptoms. Specifically, we assess whether partner value self-contingencies moderate the association between vulnerable narcissistic traits and obsessive preoccupation with a romantic partner's perceived flaws. METHOD: A total of 310 individuals self-reporting ROCD symptoms completed questionnaires assessing narcissistic personality traits, ROCD symptoms and cognitions, and partner value self-contingencies. RESULTS: Vulnerable narcissistic traits were uniquely associated with ROCD symptoms over and above ROCD-related cognitions. Self-worth contingent on the partner's perceived value partially mediated the effect of vulnerable narcissistic traits on ROCD symptoms. CONCLUSION: Results supported the role of vulnerable narcissistic traits and domain-relevant self-vulnerabilities on obsessive preoccupation with romantic partners' perceived flaws. Further research is needed to explore the susceptibility of vulnerable individuals to the development and maintenance of ROCD symptoms.

Assessing beliefs about the consequences of not just right experiences: Psychometric properties of the Not Just Right Experience-Sensitivity Scale (NJRE-SS).

Although current cognitive conceptualizations of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) emphasize that rituals are performed in order to avoid overtly threatening outcomes, it has also been noted that there are individuals for whom the attempt to correct "not just right experiences" (NJREs) rather than dangerous outcomes per se appear important. This article examines the idea that individuals have differing tolerances for-or sensitivity to-NJREs, in a similar manner as occurs regarding for other experience such as the distinction between disgust propensity and disgust sensitivity. In Study 1, using a nonclinical Italian sample, the NJRE-Sensitivity Scale (NJRE-SS) was created and refined. Its final version consisted of eight items loading on two subscales-an intolerance of NJREs due to their perceived interference with cognitive tasks and due to their interference with enjoyment of life. In Study 2, the factor structured was confirmed in a separate sample. The measure was found to have convergent validity with related measures including a separate measure assessing the severity and frequency of NJREs themselves. However, the NJRE-SS predicted OCD symptoms over-and-above the general NJRE measure, with particularly the interference with cognitive tasks subscale being of importance. Clinical implications are discussed.

Reduced fear-of-self is associated with improvement in concerns related to repugnant obsessions in obsessive-compulsive disorder.

OBJECTIVE: The potential causal and maintaining role of vulnerable self-themes and beliefs about the self in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) have received increasing attention from cognitive-behavioural theorists. This interest was translated into the development of a self-report measurement of the feared self (the fear of who one might be or become), a construct theoretically and empirically pertinent to unwanted thoughts and impulses in OCD (i.e., repugnant obsessions). METHOD: The current study aimed to provide converging evidence on the relevance of the feared self in OCD, by examining whether improvements in symptoms associated with repugnant obsessions (measured on the Vancouver Obsessional Compulsive Inventory [VOCI] obsessions subscale) would be predicted by reduced feared self-perceptions (measured on the Fear-of-Self Questionnaire [FSQ]) in a sample of 93 patients receiving psychotherapy for OCD. RESULTS: Using a series of hierarchical linear regression models, we found that treatment-related reductions on the FSQ significantly and uniquely predicted reductions on the VOCI obsessions subscale and the contamination subscale. CONCLUSIONS: The current study thus replicated previous research suggesting the relevance of the feared possible self in psychological disorders such as OCD, where negative self-perception is a dominant theme. PRACTITIONER POINTS: Current results suggest that changes in feared self-perceptions may be the mechanism through which OCD symptoms improve via therapy. Interventions specifically aimed at changing feared self-perceptions may prove effective in improving cognitive-behavioural treatments for OCD. One limitation of the current study is the lack of behavioural measures of OCD to supplement self-report measures of OCD. Another limitation is that the small number of patients receiving some of the treatments precludes investigations into which treatments may be more effective in altering feared self-perceptions.

Metacognitive beliefs as a predictor of health anxiety in a self-reporting Italian clinical sample.

Research has supported the specific role that anxiety sensitivity, health-related dysfunctional beliefs, and metacognitive beliefs may play in the development and maintenance of health anxiety symptoms. However, the role of metacognitive beliefs in health anxiety has only been explored in analogue samples. The aim of this study was to explore for the first time the association between metacognitive beliefs and health anxiety symptoms in a sample of participants who reported having received a diagnosis of severe health anxiety (hypochondriasis) or illness anxiety disorder and test whether these beliefs are significant predictors of health anxiety after controlling for anxiety, depression, anxiety sensitivity, and dysfunctional beliefs. A series of dimensional self-report measures were administered to a large Italian sample (N = 458). At a bivariate level, Beliefs that Thoughts are Uncontrollable had a stronger association with health anxiety than any of the dysfunctional beliefs and anxiety sensitivity subscales. Results from hierarchical multiple regression analysis indicated that Beliefs that Thoughts are Uncontrollable predicted health anxiety symptoms over-and-above depression, general anxiety, anxiety sensitivity, and health-related dysfunctional beliefs. Despite many important limitations, this study supported the hypothesis that metacognition may have an important role in health anxiety in clinical samples.

The role of feared possible selves in obsessive-compulsive and related disorders: A comparative analysis of a core cognitive self-construct in clinical samples.

Increasingly, cognitive-behavioural models have been considering the role of beliefs about the self in the development and maintenance of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), including sensitive domains of self-concept and feared self-perceptions. This has led to the development of the Fear of Self Questionnaire (FSQ; Aardema et al., ), which has shown strong internal consistency, divergent and convergent validity, and found to be a major predictor of unwanted thoughts and impulses (i.e., repugnant obsessions). The current study aimed to investigate fear of self-perceptions using the FSQ in an OCD sample (n = 144) and related psychological disorders (eating disorders, n = 57; body dysmorphic disorder, n = 33) in comparison to a non-clinical (n = 141) and clinical comparison group (anxiety/depressive disorders, n = 27). Following an exploratory factor analysis of the scale in the OCD sample, the results showed that participants with OCD in general did not score significantly higher on fear of self-perceptions than did the clinical comparison participants. However, consistent with previous findings, fear of self was highly characteristic among OCD patients with unwanted repugnant thoughts and impulses. In addition, fear of self-perceptions were significantly more elevated in those with eating or body dysmorphic disorders relative to the other non-clinical and clinical groups. The construct of a "feared possible self" may be particularly relevant in disorders where negative self-perception is a dominant theme, either involving concerns about one's inner self or concerns related to perceived bodily faults.

Development and validation of a new Italian short measure of disgust propensity: The Disgust Propensity Questionnaire (DPQ).

Although a few measures of disgust propensity are available in Italy, most of them take a long time to administer and/or have not shown replicable and sound psychometric properties. In the current study, the authors developed an Italian nine-item self-report measure of disgust propensity (particularly of pathogen disgust)-the Disgust Propensity Questionnaire (DPQ)-to address the limitations of currently available measures. In Study 1, the DPQ was developed through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses from an initial pool of 33 items that were administered to 784 nonclinical participants. The DPQ showed evidence of an adequate factorial and construct validity as well as internal consistency and temporal stability. In Study 2, additional evidence of the sound psychometric properties of the DPQ was provided by analyzing an independent sample of 315 nonclinical participants and a sample of 208 patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder. This study also showed that the DPQ can discriminate between obsessive-compulsive disorder patients with and without contamination-related concerns, patients with anxiety disorders, and nonclinical participants. KEY PRACTITIONER MESSAGE: An Italian nine-item self-report disgust propensity measure was developed to address the limitations of currently available tools. The Disgust Propensity Questionnaire (DPQ) was evaluated using two independent studies in nonclinical and clinical samples. The DPQ showed adequate factorial and construct validity, internal consistency, and temporal stability. It could discriminate between patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder with contamination-related concerns and all other groups. It is a very short and psychometrically sound measure to assess disgust propensity in Italian samples.

The role of guilt sensitivity in OCD symptom dimensions.

Although some studies have found that guilt may precede, motivate, or be a consequence of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), the relationship between guilt and OCD has been under investigated. The studies that explored the role of trait guilt (guilt propensity) in OCD reported inconsistent findings and failed to support its predictive role. Since it has been suggested that OCD patients perceive guilt in a more threatening manner, it might also be relevant to test to what extent they negatively evaluate the experience of guilt (i.e., guilt sensitivity; GS). Study 1 investigated the psychometric properties of a new 10-item Italian measure developed to assess GS-named Guilt Sensitivity Questionnaire-in a nonclinical sample (N = 473). Results from exploratory factor analyses supported the unidimensionality of the scale. It also showed excellent internal consistency and good discriminant validity. Study 2 investigated the role of GS in OCD symptoms, in particular with regard to responsibility for harm obsessions and checking compulsions, using a heterogeneous OCD sample (N = 61) and a control group of patients with anxiety disorders (N = 47). GS was the unique significant predictor of checking related OCD symptoms independent of negative mood states and obsessive beliefs. Guilt Sensitivity Questionnaire scores of patients with responsibility for harm concerns were significantly higher than those of patients with other kinds of obsessive concerns and with anxiety disorders. Findings supported the hypothesis that GS plays a relevant role in OCD symptoms when checking rituals are primarily involved. Implications for current cognitive behavioral models are discussed. KEY PRACTITIONER MESSAGE: Guilt sensitivity may play a role in checking-related OCD symptoms. We developed a psychometrically sound unidimensional 10-item scale to assess guilt sensitivity. Guilt sensitivity was a unique predictor of checking-related OCD symptoms. Targeting beliefs about the intolerability/dangerousness of experiencing guilt may be useful. Acceptance-based approaches may be helpful as they promote the acceptance of guilt.

Fear of Self and Unacceptable Thoughts in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.

UNLABELLED: Cognitive-behavioural models have linked unacceptable or repugnant thoughts in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) with vulnerable self-themes and fear-of-self concerns. To investigate this notion, Aardema and coworkers recently developed and validated the Fear of Self-Questionnaire (FSQ) in non-clinical samples, finding it had strong internal inconsistency, and good divergent and convergent validity, including strong relationships to obsessional symptoms and with other processes implicated in cognitive models of OCD (e.g., obsessive beliefs and inferential confusion). The current article describes two studies that aim to replicate and extend these findings in clinical OCD and non-clinical samples. Study 1 investigated the psychometric properties of an Italian translation of the FSQ in a non-clinical sample (n = 405). Results of confirmatory factor analysis supported the unidimensionality of the scale; the FSQ also showed very good internal consistency and temporal stability. Study 2 investigated the role of fear of self in OCD symptoms, and unacceptable thoughts and repugnant obsessions in particular, using a clinical OCD sample (n = 76). As expected, fear of self was a unique, major predictor of unacceptable thoughts independent of negative mood states and obsessive beliefs. Moreover, even when considered with obsessive beliefs, anxiety and depression, the feared self was the only unique predictor of obsessionality, providing support for the notion that self-themes could explain why some intrusions convert into obsessions, whereas others do not. Implications for current cognitive-behavioural models are discussed. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. KEY PRACTITIONER MESSAGE: Unacceptable thoughts in OCD have been linked with vulnerable self-themes and a fear of self. Aardema and coworkers recently developed and validated the Fear of Self-Questionnaire (FSQ). Study 1 investigated the Psychometric properties of an Italian translation of the FSQ in a non-clinical sample. Study 2 investigated the role of fear of self in unacceptable thoughts, using a clinical OCD sample. Fear of self was a unique, major predictor of unacceptable thoughts in OCD over and beyond obsessive beliefs.

Development and Validation of the Morphing Fear Questionnaire (MFQ).

Morphing fears (also called transformation obsessions) involve concerns that a person may become contaminated by and acquire undesirable characteristics of others. These symptoms are found in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and are thought to be related to mental contamination. Given the high levels of distress and interference morphing fears can cause, a reliable and valid assessment measure is needed. This article describes the development and evaluation of the Morphing Fear Questionnaire (MFQ), a 13-item measure designed to assess for the presence and severity of morphing fears. A sample of 900 participants took part in the research. Of these, 140 reported having a current diagnosis of OCD (SR-OCD) and 760 reported never having had OCD (N-OCD; of whom 24 reported a diagnosis of an anxiety disorder and 23 reported a diagnosis of depression). Factor structure, reliability and construct and criterion-related validity were investigated. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported a one-factor structure replicable across the N-OCD and SR-OCD group. The MFQ was found to have high internal consistency and good temporal stability and showed significantly greater associations with convergent measures (assessing obsessive-compulsive symptoms, mental contamination, thought-action fusion and magical thinking) than with divergent measures (assessing depression and anxiety). Moreover, the MFQ successfully discriminated between the SR-OCD sample and the N-OCD group, anxiety disorder sample and depression sample. These findings suggest that the MFQ has sound psychometric properties and that it can be used to assess morphing fear. Clinical implications are discussed. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. KEY PRACTITIONER MESSAGE: Little remains known about morphing fears, but it is an important area of investigation due to symptoms being highly distressing and often debilitating Because morphing fears commonly present as obscure symptoms, they may not be recognized as a type of OCD The MFQ is a robust measure with clinical utility; it can facilitate recognition and assessment of morphing fears The MFQ will allow for further investigations of the prevalence, correlates and treatment outcomes of morphing fears.

Comorbid Personality Disorders in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Its Symptom Dimensions.

The current paper was aimed at: (1) investigating the comorbidity between obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and personality disorders (PDs) using an OCD sample and clinician-administered structured interviews; (2) exploring the associations of different cluster comorbid PDs with the specific symptom dimensions of OCD; (3) analyzing the variables which could play a significant role in the probability of having at least one comorbid PD, controlling for confounding variables. The SCID-II and Y-BOCS, together with a series of self-report measures of OCD, depression and anxiety symptoms were administered to a clinical sample of 159 patients with a primary diagnosis of OCD. 20.8 % of the participants suffered from at least one comorbid PD; the most common was obsessive-compulsive PD (9.4 %), followed by narcissistic PD (6.3 %). In OCD patients with comorbid cluster C PDs, the percentage of responsibility for harm, injury, or bad luck symptoms was significantly greater than other OCD symptom dimensions (p < .005). Logistic regression found some evidence supporting the association between severity of OCD symptoms and comorbid PDs. PDs are prevalent among Italian people with OCD and should be routinely assessed, as comorbidity may affect help-seeking behaviour and response to treatment.

Validation of the Italian version of the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale-Second Edition (Y-BOCS-II) in a clinical sample.

OBJECTIVE: The Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) is the most widely accepted measure of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptom severity. Recently, the scale has been revised into a second edition (Y-BOCS-II) in order to improve its measurement properties. The present study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Italian version of the Y-BOCS-II Severity Scale (SS) in a large clinical sample. METHOD: The original version of the Y-BOCS-II was translated into Italian, which involved forward and back-translation procedures. The Italian Y-BOCS-II-SS was administered to one hundred twenty-five treatment-seeking adults with OCD, together with the original Y-BOCS-SS and a battery of self-report measures assessing OCD symptom severity and depressive and anxious symptomology. The factor structure, internal consistency, temporal stability, and construct validity were investigated on the whole sample, while inter-rater and test-retest reliability were assessed on a subsample of participants. RESULTS: Factor analyses revealed a two-factor structure different from those of the original scale, comprising (1) symptom severity; and (2) interference from symptoms. Internal consistency, test-retest reliability over a 2-week period and inter-rater reliability were satisfactory. The Y-BOCS-II-SS also showed excellent construct validity (and better than the Y-BOCS-SS), with good convergent and discriminant validity when assessed against other OCD symptom measures and measures of depression, anxiety and worry. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that the Italian version of the Y-BOCS-II-SS retains the adequate psychometric properties of the original and that it can be confidently used as an assessment tool of OCD symptoms in both clinical and research settings.

The Italian version of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21: Factor structure and psychometric properties on community and clinical samples.

OBJECTIVE: The Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21) is the short version of a self-report measure that was originally developed to provide maximum differentiation between depressive and anxious symptoms. Despite encouraging evidence, the factor structure and other features of the DASS-21 are yet to be firmly established. METHOD: A community sample of 417 participants and two clinical groups (32 depressive patients and 25 anxious patients) completed the Italian version of the DASS-21 along with several measures of psychopathology. RESULTS: Confirmatory factor analyses suggested that the DASS-21 is a measure of general distress plus three additional orthogonal dimensions (anxiety, depression, and stress). The internal consistency and temporal stability of the measure were good; each DASS-21 scale correlated more strongly with a measure of a similar construct, demonstrating good convergent and divergent validity. Lastly, the DASS-21 demonstrated good criterion-oriented validity. CONCLUSION: The validity of the Italian DASS-21 and its utility, both for community and clinical individuals, are supported.

Factor structure and temporal stability of the Vancouver Obsessional Compulsive Inventory-Mental Contamination Scale (VOCI-MC) and psychometric properties of its Italian version.

OBJECTIVE: The Vancouver Obsessional Compulsive Inventory-Mental Contamination Scale (VOCI-MC) is a self-report instrument that assesses symptoms of mental contamination. The aim of this study was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Italian version of the VOCI-MC in non-clinical and clinical samples. METHOD: Factor structure, internal consistency, temporal stability, construct and criterion validity were investigated in 541 participants from the general population, 120 participants diagnosed with OCD and 31 participants diagnosed with other anxiety disorders (OAD). For some of these analyses, our OCD sample was subdivided into those with contamination-related symptoms and concerns (n=39) and those whose OCD excluded concerns related to contamination fear (n=81). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported the expected one-factor structure of the VOCI-MC both in non-clinical and OCD sample. RESULTS: VOCI-MC scores showed good internal consistency, temporal stability, construct validity and criterion validity. In particular, the VOCI-MC successfully discriminated between those with OCD who reported contamination-related concerns and all other groups of participants. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that the Italian version of the VOCI-MC retains the adequate psychometric properties of the original, provide preliminary evidence of its one-factor structure and temporal stability, and suggest that it can be confidently used as an assessment tool of mental contamination symptoms in both clinical and research settings.

Hoarding behaviour in an Italian non-clinical sample.

BACKGROUND: Hoarding is associated with significant impairment. Although traditionally considered as a symptom of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), some authors have proposed that pathological hoarding could be considered as a stand alone condition. The prevalence of pathological hoarding behaviour has been shown to be high in some countries, but little is known about the prevalence and correlates of hoarding in the non-clinical population in Italy. METHOD: We studied the prevalence of self-reported hoarding behaviour using the Italian version of the Saving Inventory-Revised, as well as the association between hoarding and various clinical correlates, including obsessive-compulsive symptoms, compulsive buying, anxiety, and depression. RESULTS: The prevalence of pathological hoarding behaviour in two studies was between 3.7 and 6.0%. No differences were found between hoarding and non-hoarding participants with regard to gender, age, marital status, level of education, and employment status. Significant correlations were found between compulsive hoarding and obsessive-compulsive symptoms and also between hoarding and a measure of compulsive buying, even after controlling for anxiety and depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that pathological hoarding may also be prevalent in Italy and highlight the need for further epidemiological studies using validated instruments to assess hoarding disorder.

Agreement and discrepancies in patient-clinician reports of DSM-5-TR section III maladaptive personality traits: A study on a mixed outpatient sample.

The assessment of personality pathology based on dimensional models may improve self-other agreement, but previous research mainly adopted a categorical approach and overlooked the role of the person of the therapist. Our study examined patient-clinician agreement in a mixed sample of Italian outpatients using the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5) and the PID-5-Informant Form (PID-5-IRF). Moreover, the role of clinician personality traits on agreement was preliminary explored. Sixty-eight outpatients (51.4% male, M = 30.30, SD = 12.05 years) and their treating clinicians (N = 22; 77.3% female, M = 43.77 ± 8.45 years) entered the study. Patients completed the PID-5, whereas clinicians filled-in the PID-5-Brief Form (PID-5-BF) and the PID-5-IRF for each patient they involved. A multilevel Bayesian analysis showed that rank-order agreement was large for domains (mean r = .60) and moderate for facets (mean r = .44). As regards mean-level agreement, patient ratings on cognitive/perceptual dysregulation, distractibility, eccentricity, and emotional lability were higher than clinician ratings, whereas patients' scores on depressivity were lower than clinicians' ones. Scores on the PID-5-BF detachment positively predicted agreement on anhedonia, anxiousness, depressivity, distractibility, separation insecurity, and suspiciousness, while scores on the PID-5-BF negative affectivity, antagonism, and disinhibition negatively predicted agreement on few specific facets. Current findings suggest that clinician personality traits may contribute to agreement on maladaptive personality traits, but areas of discrepancies remain in case of low observable internal ones. Since patient-clinician agreement is crucially involved in therapeutic alliance, further research on this issue is highly encouraged. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Second-order factor structure of the Vancouver Obsessive Compulsive Inventory (VOCI) in a non-clinical sample.

BACKGROUND: The Vancouver Obsessive Compulsive Inventory (VOCI) is a self-report measure of the severity of obsessive-compulsive problems such as contamination, checking, obsessions, hoarding, needing things to be just right, and indecisiveness. In the seminal paper a six-correlated-factor structure was found in a sample of OC patients, but the issue of the factor structure of the VOCI in non-clinical populations was not addressed. AIM: This study assesses the psychometric properties and the factor structure of the Italian version of the VOCI in a non-clinical sample. METHOD: The VOCI was administered to a large community sample (n = 445). Some participants also completed a battery including measures of OC behaviour, worry, anxiety and depression (n = 89) and were administered the VOCI twice at an 8-week interval (n = 46). RESULTS: Confirmatory factor analyses replicated the six-correlated-factor structure originally found in a patient sample, but a more parsimonious, second-order-factor model showed a statistically higher fit, suggesting that VOCI subscales can be considered as facets of a higher-order OCD factor. The whole item pool and each of the subscales showed good internal consistency, unidimensionality, test-retest reliability and convergent construct validity. As in the original version, limited support for discriminant validity was found. Scores were weakly associated with age, gender and education. CONCLUSIONS: Although some key issues still need to be investigated (e.g. sensitivity to change), the VOCI seems to be a psychometrically sound instrument for the assessment of OCD-related behaviours and thoughts and can be used in cultural contexts different from the original.

Different Disgust Domains Specifically Relate to Mental and Contact Contamination Fear in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Evidence From a Path Analytic Model in an Italian Clinical Sample.

Both contact contamination (CC) and mental contamination (MC) fears-which combined represent the most common manifestation of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)-have been widely associated with disgust propensity. However, extant research explored this relationship using measures assessing only pathogen-related disgust, not taking into account the potential role played by sexual and moral disgust, despite literature about MC suggesting that this might be particularly relevant. In Study 1, the psychometric properties of the Italian version of the Three Domains of Disgust Scale (TDDS) were assessed in a large Italian community sample. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses confirmed the three-factor structure of the TDDS. The scale also showed good internal consistency and construct validity. In Study 2, the differential patterns of relationships between CC and MC and the three disgust domains were explored in an Italian clinical OCD sample using a path analytic approach. The TDDS-Pathogen subscale was a unique predictor of CC while the TDDS-Sexual subscale was a unique predictor of MC, after controlling for anxiety and depression. Surprisingly, the TDDS-Moral subscale was not a predictor of either domain of contamination fear. Limitations and clinical implications are discussed.

Is Heightened Disgust Propensity Truly a Risk Factor for Contamination-Related Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder?

Disgust propensity (DP) has been conceptualized as a stable personality trait that confers risk for contamination-related OCD (C-OCD). However, the extent to which DP leads to the subsequent development of C-OCD is unclear. In fact, the presence of C-OCD might lead to an increase in DP rather than the inverse. The present study was aimed to test this hypothesis in a large clinical sample of OCD patients (≥ 21 years of age) with (C-OCD; n = 56) and without (NC-OCD; n = 103) contamination-related symptoms that completed measures of OCD symptoms, depression, anxiety, and DP. DP was assessed twice, in reference to the present situation (T1) and to when the participant was 18 years old (T0). The two groups did not significantly differ in DP at T0. However, C-OCD participants reported higher DP scores than NC-OCD at T1. Furthermore, the T1 vs T0 difference in DP was significant only in the C-OCD group. Subsequent analyses also showed that T1 DP levels, but not T0 levels, significantly predicted contamination-related symptoms. Despite study limitations, these findings question the role of DP as a risk factor for C-OCD.

Narcissistic traits and self-esteem in children: Results from a community and a clinical sample of patients with oppositional defiant disorder.

BACKGROUND: Several studies have investigated relationships between narcissism, self-esteem and behavioral problems in children. Most of these studies have been conducted in community samples, rather than in clinical referred samples. This field of research is clinically important, because data on community samples suggest that narcissism is a significant risk factor for children's behavioral problems. METHODS: The study aimed to test the psychometric properties of the Child Narcissism Scale (CNS) in a community sample of Italian children and to explore the clinical utility of CNS in a sample of referred children with Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD). RESULTS: In the community sample, the Italian version of the CNS was shown to be a normally distributed, single-factor measure of childhood narcissism with very good internal consistency. Furthermore, high levels of narcissism were associated with less self-esteem in family relationships, more parent-reported conduct problems, and less teacher-reported pro-social behaviors. In the ODD sample, high levels of narcissism were associated with more conduct problems and emotional symptoms. Low levels of self-esteem were associated with more conduct problems. LIMITATIONS: The cross sectional design does not allow for estimates of CNS test-retest reliability and sensitivity to change, nor does it allow for interpretations that suggest temporal precedence or causality. CONCLUSIONS: We found support for the cross-cultural utility of the CNS as a short and comprehensive self-report measure of narcissistic traits, which can be used in community and clinical samples of children, and suggested how narcissism may be involved in children's behavioral problems.