Abstract
Objectives: Mental Contamination (MC) is a type of contamination fear experienced in the absence of a physical contaminant, and is characterised by a diffuse feeling of internal dirtiness with a strong moral quality. MC within obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is linked with experiencing betrayals. It has also been evidenced that ‘perpetrators’ of betrayals experience MC but no qualitative study has examined this. This study aimed to explore the lived experience of MC OCD in the context of perceived betrayal of others.Design: A qualitative study design with semi-structured individual interviews was used. The results were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.
Methods: Thirteen adults with clinical levels of OCD (as measured by the Obsessive Compulsive Inventory-Revised) and MC (as measured by the Vancouver Obsessive Compulsive Inventory - Mental Contamination) took part. All participants had experiences of being betrayed and/ or betraying others.
Results: Three themes were generated: 1) Setting the scene for MC: developmental influences and morality beliefs, 2) MC in the here-and-now, and 3) The maintaining force of the fear of betraying others.
Conclusions: Findings support a link between the perceived betrayal of others and how MC is experienced. Developmental and sociocultural factors of participants upbringing impacted the development of morality beliefs and what they perceived as a betrayal. This set the scene for the manifestation of MC and how they experienced MC in the present day. A fear of betraying others arose across participants and served as a maintaining factor for MC. Clinical implications of the findings are discussed and recommendations for future research is proposed.
| Date of Award | 20 Jan 2024 |
|---|---|
| Original language | English |
| Awarding Institution |
|
| Supervisor | Josie Millar (Supervisor) & Ashley Vanstone (Supervisor) |