Abstract:
There have been a large number of individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) who endorse compulsive behavior driven by internally generated sensory sensations, absent of feared consequences. These experiences, known as "feelings of incompleteness," "not just right experiences," and sensory phenomena, have been found to be highly prevalent within the disorder, and similar to traditional obsessions and compulsions, cause significant distress and impairment and interfere with social and occupational functioning. Internally-generated sensory sensations in OCD have been understudied in comparison to fear based obsessions and compulsions yet hold significant importance in the conceptualization of OCD and its treatment. Researchers have hypothesized a sensory-affective dysfuntion which may underlie these experiences, which implicates potential dysfunction related to sensory processing. Some evidence suggests that individuals with OCD have altered experiences related to sensory processing, yet there have been limited studies examining the interplay between these domains. To address these gaps in the literature, the purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between altered sensory processing, sensory phenomena, and obsessive-compulsive symptoms within a large community sample. Bivariate correlations revealed that there were significant positive associations between sensory over-responsibility, sensory phenomena, and obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Sensory over-responsibility was predictive of obsessive-compulsive symptoms, and both facets of sensory phenomena "incompleteness" and "not just right experiences." Sensory over-responsivity was also found to moderate the association between obsessive-compulsive symptoms and sensory phenomena; however, some findings were counter to the proposed hypotheses. Lastly, exploratory analyses displayed that facets of interoceptive sensibility were also associated with sensory over-responsivity, sensory phenomena, and obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Taken together, findings from this study highlight that elevated sensory over-responsivity appear to be associated with obsessive-compulsive symptoms and impact its' relationship to sensory phenomena. Further research is needed to replicate and extend these findings within a clinical sample, however sensory over-responsivity may be a relevant area of research pertaining to the etiology of sensory phenomena symptoms present in OCD, and may inform neurobiological models of OCD more broadly.