Devils, witches, and psychics: an examination of the relationships between religion, paranormal beliefs, and features of OCD

Dakota Storm Mauzay

Research suggests that both belief in the paranormal and religiosity are significantly, positively related to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), as well as features of OCD. However, few studies have examined these relationships while controlling for depression and anxiety and the specifics of the mechanisms that underlie these relationships are still not well understood. The objectives of this study were 1) to examine whether religiosity and paranormal beliefs are associated with the various features of OCD, while controlling for depression and anxiety, 2) to examine whether moral thought action fusion (TAF-M) and/or likelihood thought-action fusion (TAF-L) mediate the putative relationships between both belief systems and OCD total scores, as well as scrupulosity, while controlling for depression and anxiety 3) to examine whether other dysfunctional beliefs (ODBs) mediate these relationships. More specifically, inflated sense of responsibility and over-estimation of threat (RT), intolerance of uncertainty and perfectionism (PC), and importance of and the need to control thoughts (ICT), were examined as potential mediators of the relationships between both belief systems (i.e., religious and paranormal) and OCD total scores and scrupulosity. A cross-sectional design was used in which 840 students from Washington State University completed an online survey that contained measures of religiosity, paranormal beliefs, OCD, scrupulosity, thought-action fusion, and the ODBs. Results indicated that both religiosity and paranormal beliefs are significantly, positively associated with the various features of OCD, after controlling for anxiety and depression. Further, TAF-M and TAF-L mediated most of the relationships between the belief systems and OCD total scores as well as scrupulosity. Similarly, results indicated that all three ODBs mediated most of the relationships between both belief systems and OCD. The overall pattern of results indicates that both religiosity and paranormal beliefs may promote dysfunctional cognitive styles which in turn contribute to the severity of OCD and scrupulosity. These results elucidate the mechanisms underlying the relationships between religious beliefs, paranormal beliefs, and OCD. Moreover, these results suggest that therapeutically targeting dysfunctional beliefs generally may decrease the influence of these belief systems on OCD in a culturally appropriate manner.

Devils, witches, and psychics: an examination of the relationships between religion, paranormal beliefs, and features of OCD

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