How Do Anxiety and Obsessive-Compulsive Traits Affect Checking Behaviors?

What you need to know

• Higher levels of anxiety and obsessive-compulsive traits were associated with more frequent checking behaviors and greater feelings of unpleasantness during a visual task.
• Perfectionism and need for certainty were particularly linked to slower reaction times, lower accuracy, and increased physiological signs of distress during the task.
• The findings suggest that certain anxiety and obsessive-compulsive traits may contribute to and maintain excessive checking behaviors, even in low-threat situations.

Background on checking behaviors

Checking behaviors, such as repeatedly making sure a door is locked or an appliance is turned off, are common in both anxiety disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). While occasional checking is normal, excessive and persistent checking can become disabling and distressing for those with clinical levels of anxiety or OCD.

Previous research has identified several factors that may contribute to compulsive checking, including:

• Intolerance of uncertainty - difficulty coping with ambiguous situations
• Perfectionism - setting unrealistically high standards
• “Not just right” experiences - a sense that things are not quite as they should be

However, most prior studies have looked at checking behaviors in people with diagnosed anxiety or OCD, rather than examining how these traits relate to checking across the general population. This study aimed to explore how individual differences in anxiety and obsessive-compulsive features affect checking behaviors, even in people without clinical diagnoses.

How the study worked

The researchers recruited 87 university students to complete questionnaires measuring various anxiety and obsessive-compulsive traits. The participants then completed a computerized visual discrimination and checking task.

In each trial of the task, participants viewed two geometric shapes in sequence and had to determine if they were identical or slightly different. On some trials, participants had the option to “check” by repeating the trial before giving their final answer. The researchers measured:

• How often participants chose to check
• Accuracy in identifying identical vs. different shapes
• Reaction times
• Subjective ratings of unpleasantness and urge to check
• Activity of facial muscles associated with negative emotions

This allowed the researchers to examine how individual differences in anxiety and obsessive-compulsive traits related to checking behaviors and physiological responses during the task.

Key findings

Checking frequency

Higher scores on measures of:

• General anxiety
• Intolerance of uncertainty
• Perfectionism and need for certainty

Were associated with checking more frequently during the task, especially on trials with identical shapes.

This suggests these traits may drive increased checking even when it’s not really necessary (since the identical shape trials were easier). The researchers note this fits with how anxiety and OCD can lead to “better safe than sorry” behaviors that aren’t always rational.

Subjective experiences

All of the anxiety and obsessive-compulsive traits measured were linked to:

• Greater feelings of unpleasantness during the task
• Stronger urges to check, even when checking wasn’t an option

This indicates these traits are associated with more negative emotional experiences during tasks that involve uncertainty, even at subclinical levels.

Task performance

Higher perfectionism and need for certainty were specifically associated with:

• Lower accuracy in identifying identical shapes when checking wasn’t allowed
• Slower reaction times when deciding whether to check
• Slower reaction times when giving final answers, especially for trials with different shapes

The researchers suggest this shows how perfectionism can lead to being overly cautious and hesitant, especially when faced with more difficult or ambiguous stimuli.

Physiological responses

Higher perfectionism and need for certainty were also linked to increased activity in facial muscles associated with negative emotions, particularly when participants were told checking would be available after viewing different shape pairs.

This provides evidence that these traits are associated with greater physiological signs of distress or effort, especially in more uncertain situations.

Implications for understanding checking behaviors

The findings shed light on how different anxiety and obsessive-compulsive traits may contribute to excessive checking:

General anxiety and intolerance of uncertainty seem to drive an overall tendency to check more frequently and experience more negative emotions during uncertain tasks.

Perfectionism and need for certainty appear particularly important in maintaining checking behaviors. They were associated with:

• Checking more on “easy” trials
• Being slower and less accurate
• Showing more physiological signs of distress

This fits with the idea that perfectionism can lead to doubting one’s perceptions and decisions, driving repeated checking to try to be absolutely certain.

Importantly, these patterns were found in a non-clinical sample, suggesting these traits exist on a spectrum and can influence behavior even at subclinical levels.

Relevance for treatment

The results support the idea that targeting certain anxiety and obsessive-compulsive traits could help reduce excessive checking behaviors. In particular, the researchers suggest that:

• Addressing perfectionism and need for certainty may be especially important
• Treatments should focus on how these traits maintain cycles of compulsive checking and associated distress
• Even people with subclinical traits may benefit from learning to tolerate uncertainty and resist urges to check excessively

Limitations and future directions

The study had some limitations to keep in mind:

• It used a student sample, so findings may not generalize to clinical populations
• The task involved low-stakes visual discrimination, rather than real-world checking scenarios
• There was no cost or consequence for excessive checking in the task

Future research could address these by:

• Including clinical samples
• Using more realistic checking scenarios
• Adding costs/consequences for checking
• Examining how interventions targeting specific traits affect checking behaviors

Conclusions

• Anxiety and obsessive-compulsive traits, particularly perfectionism and need for certainty, are associated with increased checking behaviors and negative experiences during uncertain tasks.
• These traits appear to drive checking even in low-threat situations and at subclinical levels.
• Targeting perfectionistic beliefs and intolerance of uncertainty may help reduce excessive checking in both clinical and non-clinical populations.
• More research is needed to understand how these traits influence real-world checking behaviors and how to best address them in treatment.

This study provides valuable insights into the cognitive and emotional factors that may underlie problematic checking behaviors. By shedding light on how individual differences relate to checking tendencies, even in non-clinical samples, it opens up new possibilities for early intervention and prevention of more severe anxiety and obsessive-compulsive symptoms.