Exploring the relationship of incompleteness and harm avoidance with obsessive-compulsive symptoms and perfectionism

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) subtyping models have mostly relied on overt symptom content. A recent approach emphasizes motivations underlying symptoms---preventing harm (harm avoidance) and correcting sensations of things being incomplete or not "just right" (incompleteness). The current paper presents three studies examining this subtyping scheme in undergraduate samples. In Study 1, confirmatory factor analysis supported the separability of incompleteness and harm avoidance based on a self-report questionnaire. Study 2 documented variability in the strength of the core dimensions' associations with domains of OC symptoms and perfectionism. Study 3 provided a preliminary examination of behavioral responses of individuals with high levels of incompleteness and harm avoidance using experimental tasks designed to tap these constructs. Group differences were not observed on most outcome measures. However, additional research examining behavioral correlates of incompleteness and harm avoidance is needed, as low power and methodological limitations may explain the lack of group differences.