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BACKGROUND: An inflated sense of responsibility is characteristic of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). No previous studies have investigated its origins. Five potential pathways to inflated responsibility beliefs have been proposed; these are tested in this study. METHOD: A novel measure, the Origins Questionnaire for Adolescents (OQA), was developed to assess experiences on these five pathways. Reliability of the OQA was investigated. The experiences on the five pathways to inflated responsibility beliefs of 16 adolescents with a history of OCD were compared to 16 adolescents with no history of OCD. Parents also reported on adolescents' experiences on the five pathways. RESULTS: Test-retest reliability was high. The internal consistency of the subscales was only partly satisfactory. The groups differed on one pathway; the clinical group reported a higher sense of responsibility for significant incidents with a negative outcome prior to onset of OCD. CONCLUSIONS: An inflated sense of responsibility, in combination with the occurrence of specific incidents, might act as a vulnerability factor for development of OCD. Future research should consider how to measure the subtle effects of experiences of responsibility over the course of development.

Original publication

DOI

10.1017/S1352465810000810

Type

Journal article

Journal

Behav Cogn Psychother

Publication Date

03/2011

Volume

39

Pages

229 - 234

Keywords

Adolescent, Culture, Defense Mechanisms, Female, Humans, Internal-External Control, Male, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Personality Inventory, Psychometrics, Reproducibility of Results, Social Responsibility, Young Adult