The Relationship between Field Independence and Dependence, Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms and Meta-Cognitive Beliefs in a Nonclinical Sample of Students
Subject Areas : Thoughts and Behavior in Clinical Psychology
Keywords: Field Dependence-Independence, Meta-cognitive beliefs, obsessive-compulsive disorder,
Abstract :
People who exhibit field dependence tend to rely on information provided by the outer world, the field or frame of a situation and their cognitions based on this overall field. Hence, the research purpose is to investigate the relationship between field independence and dependence, obsessive-compulsive symptoms and meta-cognitive beliefs in a nonclinical sample of students. Therefore, a sample of 300 university students was randomly selected from among the Islamic Azad University located in the west of Mazandaran and tested in terms of field independence and dependence, obsessive-compulsive symptoms and meta-cognitive beliefs. Data that were analyzed using correlation coefficient and multivariate regression indicated that there is significant negative relationship between filed dependence-independence and obsessive-compulsive symptoms. However, significant and positive relationship was observed between the meta-cognitive beliefs and obsessive-compulsive symptoms. The subscales of positive beliefs about worry, uncontrollability of danger and cognitive self-awareness were the strongest predictors of obsessive-compulsive symptoms in the nonclinical sample. Moreover, it seems that recognition and change of meta-cognitive beliefs in relation to the uncontrollability of danger, cognitive self-awareness and positive beliefs about worry should be taken into consideration in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder.