The Generalized Anxiety Disorder Inventory is a recently developed self-report measure that assesses symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder. Its psychometric properties have not been investigated further since its original development. The current study investigated its psychometric properties in a Canadian student/community sample. Exploratory principal component analysis replicated the original three-component structure. The total scale and subscales demonstrated excellent internal consistency reliability (α = 0.84-0.94) and correlated strongly with the Penn State Worry Questionnaire (r = 0.41-0.74, all ps <0.001) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (r = 0.55-0.84, all ps <0.001). However, only the total scale and cognitive subscale (r = 0.48-0.49, all ps <0.05) significantly predicted generalized anxiety disorder diagnosis established by diagnostic interview. The somatic subscale in particular may require revision to improve predictive validity. Revision may also be necessary given changes in required somatic symptoms for generalized anxiety disorder diagnostic criteria in more recent versions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (i.e. although major changes occurred from Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-III-R to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV, changes in Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5 were minimal) and the possibility of changes in the upcoming 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases.

Despite speculation that highly religious individuals may be predisposed toward developing obsessivecompulsive disorder (OCD), results regarding the relationship between religiosity and spirituality and OCD symptoms are mixed. Limitations of the literature include the use of measures with unknown psychometric properties that do not differentiate between facets of religiosity, a limited range of religious affiliations, and predominant use of undergraduate samples. The current study attempted to clarify the relationship using multidimensional measures. Seven hundred forty-six nonclinical and 24 clinical participants (with a principal diagnosis of OCD) from a wide range of religious affiliations completed questionnaires. In both samples, obsessional thinking was positively associated with scrupulosity (r ϭ .56 and r ϭ .73 in the nonclinical and clinical samples, respectively) but not religious fundamentalism. Compulsions were not meaningfully associated with religiosity and spirituality. Religious crisis was positively associated with scrupulosity (r ϭ .40 and r ϭ .73 in the nonclinical and clinical samples, respectively) and thought-action fusion (r ϭ .26 and r ϭ .53 in the nonclinical and clinical samples, respectively). In the clinical sample, OCD severity was negatively associated with spirituality (r ϭ Ϫ.42). The belief that the universe is ordered and humanity is connected (universality; a facet of spirituality) significantly moderated the relationship between religiosity and moral thought-action fusion (high religiosity was only associated with high moral thought-action fusion when universality was low, explaining 18.42% of variance in the relationship). These findings suggest that religious individuals with OCD may benefit from enhancing spirituality through consultation with a religious authority or within therapy.

This study examined the effect of exposure script references to anxious physiological sensations and the five senses upon anxious arousal during a single 30-minute imaginal exposure. Forty-five high worriers were randomized to two conditions: Comprehensive (all reference types included) or Limited (only visual and auditory references included). Anxious arousal was measured via heart rate (HR), skin conductance level (SCL) and self-report. Both conditions exhibited increased arousal patterns from baseline. SCL did not significantly decrease in either condition during exposure. For self-reported anxiety, Comprehensive participants exhibited significant decreases throughout exposure; but Limited participants demonstrated significant increases. Comprehensive participants reported significantly greater anticipated ability to cope after exposure. Results are discussed in the context of emotional processing theory.

Some OCD researchers have suggested that highly religious individuals may be predisposed toward developing obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), but results regarding the relationship between religiosity and OCD symptoms are mixed. Notable weaknesses in the literature include the frequent use of measures with unknown psychometric properties that do not differentiate between various facets of religiosity (e.g., fundamentalism, spirituality, etc.), study of a limited range of religious affiliations, and predominant use of undergraduate student samples. Other research has demonstrated positive benefits of religiosity/spirituality for mental health. The current study attempted to clarify the relationship between OCD symptoms/cognitions and religiosity/spirituality using multidimensional measures of religiosity/spirituality. Seven hundred and forty-six nonclinical (students and community members) and 24 clinical participants (with a principal diagnosis of OCD) from a wide range of religious affiliations completed questionnaires assessing religiosity/spirituality and OCD symptoms/cognitions. In both samples, Obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptoms were either not significantly related or significantly, negatively related to religiosity and spirituality, but religious crisis was significantly, positively related to OC symptoms. In the nonclinical group, none of the facets of spirituality moderated the relationships between religiosity and fundamentalism or moral TAF. All facets of spirituality significantly moderated the relationship between religiosity and scrupulosity (all ps < .02), but additional variance explained was trivial (all ΔR2 < .004). In the clinical sample, only the universality facet of spirituality (i.e., the belief that the universe is ordered and all of humanity is connected) significantly moderated the relationship between religiosity and fundamentalism (t = -5.60, p < .001, 95% CI = -.53 to -.24, ΔR2 = .17) and between religiosity and moral thought-action fusion (moral TAF; t = -2.14, p = .04, 95% CI = -.38 to -.005, ΔR2 = .184). High religiosity was only associated with high fundamentalism or moral TAF when universality was low. None of the facets of spirituality significantly moderated the relationship between religiosity and scrupulosity (all ps = ns, all ΔR2 < .001). Religiosity and spirituality appear to be unrelated or negatively related to OC symptoms. However, religious individuals with OCD who experience religious crisis may benefit from psychoeducation/consultation with religious professionals to address these difficulties.

This study examined the effect of exposure script references to anxious physiological sensations and the five senses upon anxious arousal during a single 30-minute imaginal exposure. Forty-five high worriers were randomized to two conditions: Comprehensive (all reference types included) or Limited (only visual and auditory references included). Anxious arousal was measured via heart rate (HR), skin conductance level (SCL) and self-report. Both conditions exhibited increased arousal patterns from baseline. SCL did not significantly decrease in either condition during exposure. For self-reported anxiety, Comprehensive participants exhibited significant decreases throughout exposure; but Limited participants demonstrated significant increases. Comprehensive participants reported significantly greater anticipated ability to cope after exposure. Results are discussed in the context of emotional processing theory.