The cross-cultural and transdiagnostic nature of unwanted mental intrusions

• Published in: International journal of clinical and health psychology 2019-05, Vol.19 (2), p.85-96
• Main Authors: Pascual-Vera, Belén, Akin, Burcin, Belloch, Amparo, Bottesi, Gioia, Clark, David A., Doron, Guy, Fernández-Alvarez, Héctor, Ghisi, Marta, Gómez, Beatriz, Inozu, Mujgan, Jiménez-Ros, Antonia, Moulding, Richard, Ruiz, M. Angeles, Shams, Giti, Sica, Claudio
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anxiety; Behavior; Body dysmorphic disorder; Cognition & reasoning; Cognitive models; Cross-cultural study; Cross-sectional study; Culture; Estudio transcultural; Estudio transversal; Intrusiones mentales no deseadas; Obsessive compulsive disorder; Obsessive-Compulsive spectrum disorders; Open access; Originals article; Psychopathology; Religion; Transdiagnostic; Transdiagnóstico; Trastornos del espectro obsesivo-compulsivo; Unwanted mental intrusions
• ISSN: 1697-2600; 2174-0852
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijchp.2019.02.005

Unwanted mental intrusions (UMIs), typically discussed in relation to Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), are highly prevalent, regardless of the specific nationality, religion, and/or cultural context. Studies have also shown that UMIs related to Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD), Illness anxiety/Hypochondriasis (IA-H), and Eating Disorders (EDs) are commonly experienced. However, the influence of culture on these UMIs and their transdiagnostic nature has not been investigated. Participants were 1,473 non-clinical individuals from seven countries in Europe, the Middle-East, and South America. All the subjects completed the Questionnaire of Unpleasant Intrusive Thoughts, which assesses the occurrence and discomfort of four UMI contents related to OCD, BDD, IA-H, and EDs, and symptom questionnaires on the four disorders. Overall, 64% of the total sample reported having experienced the four UMIs. The EDs intrusions were the most frequently experienced, whereas hypochondriacal intrusions were the least frequent but the most disturbing. All the UMIs were significantly related to each other in frequency and disturbance, and all of them were associated with clinical measures of OCD, BDD, IA-H, and EDs. UMIs are a common phenomenon across different cultural contexts and operate transdiagnostically across clinically different disorders. Las intrusiones mentales no deseadas (IM), clásicamente estudiadas en relación con el trastorno obsesivo-compulsivo (TOC), tienen una prevalencia elevada independientemente de la nacionalidad, religión, y/o el contexto cultural. Las investigaciones muestran que también es habitual experimentar IM sobre contenidos relacionados con el trastorno dismórfico corporal (TDC), la ansiedad por la enfermedad/hipocondría (AE-H) y los trastornos alimentarios (TCA). Sin embargo, la influencia de la cultura sobre estas IM y su naturaleza transdiagnóstica no se han investigado. Participaron 1.473 personas de siete países de Europa, Oriente Medio y Suramérica. Todas completaron el Cuestionario de Pensamientos Intrusos Desagradables, que evalúa la ocurrencia y malestar asociados a cuatro contenidos de IM relacionados con TOC, TDC, AE-H y TCA, y cuestionarios sobre síntomas de los cuatro trastornos. El 64% de la muestra total había experimentado las cuatro modalidades de IM. Las IM-TCA fueron las más frecuentes y las hipocondríacas las menos, pero las más molestas. Todas las IM mantuvieron relaciones entre sí, tanto en frecuencia como en molestia, y t