Exploring Measures of "Not Just Right" Experiences and Different Types of Sensory Phenomena
Mentor 1
Han Joo Lee
Start Date
28-4-2023 12:00 AM
Description
“Not just right” experiences (NJREs) in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are internal feelings of incompleteness or discomfort that are known to be triggered by stimuli that include sensory phenomena (SP), that include a range of sensory experiences. This study aims to understand whether distinct presentations of SP relate to different presentations of NJREs or whether NJREs are more related to the severity, age of onset, or number of SP. The categories of SP have not been examined while comparing different presentations of NJREs for those with OCD. Study participants were given a set of questionnaires to answer regarding experiences of five types of SP (USP-SPS), the state-based severity of one’s last experienced NJRE (NJRE-QR), the trait based tendency to experience symptoms of incompleteness (OCTCDQ-R2), the tendency to experience distress that is elicited from not just right visual stimuli related to symmetry, ordering, and arranging (PIC-NR10), and general severity of OCD-related symptoms (OCI-R). Participants identified as primarily female and White and ranged in age from 18-59. Out of a total of 22 types of SP, participants endorsed about 5 SP each. Higher NJRE severity ratings on each of the three measures was significantly associated with higher total number of SP and higher SP severity scores, rather than age of onset or the number of SP in a specific category. Linear regressions indicated that total number of SP was predictive of NJRE state severity scores while distress related to the severity of SP was predictive of trait incompleteness symptoms. Total number of SP approached significance in predicting distress ratings related to pictorial stimuli. There was no indication that the type of SP an individual experiences mattered, which may indicate that individuals with NJREs could experience SP that are not NJRE-specific which still influence the severity of and distress related to NJREs.
Exploring Measures of "Not Just Right" Experiences and Different Types of Sensory Phenomena
“Not just right” experiences (NJREs) in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are internal feelings of incompleteness or discomfort that are known to be triggered by stimuli that include sensory phenomena (SP), that include a range of sensory experiences. This study aims to understand whether distinct presentations of SP relate to different presentations of NJREs or whether NJREs are more related to the severity, age of onset, or number of SP. The categories of SP have not been examined while comparing different presentations of NJREs for those with OCD. Study participants were given a set of questionnaires to answer regarding experiences of five types of SP (USP-SPS), the state-based severity of one’s last experienced NJRE (NJRE-QR), the trait based tendency to experience symptoms of incompleteness (OCTCDQ-R2), the tendency to experience distress that is elicited from not just right visual stimuli related to symmetry, ordering, and arranging (PIC-NR10), and general severity of OCD-related symptoms (OCI-R). Participants identified as primarily female and White and ranged in age from 18-59. Out of a total of 22 types of SP, participants endorsed about 5 SP each. Higher NJRE severity ratings on each of the three measures was significantly associated with higher total number of SP and higher SP severity scores, rather than age of onset or the number of SP in a specific category. Linear regressions indicated that total number of SP was predictive of NJRE state severity scores while distress related to the severity of SP was predictive of trait incompleteness symptoms. Total number of SP approached significance in predicting distress ratings related to pictorial stimuli. There was no indication that the type of SP an individual experiences mattered, which may indicate that individuals with NJREs could experience SP that are not NJRE-specific which still influence the severity of and distress related to NJREs.
