Non-Cognitive Predictors of Student Success:A Predictive Validity Comparison Between Domestic and International Students

In the perinatal period, perceived stress

and responsibility attitudes predict

obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptoms

in prenatal women, while only responsibility

beliefs predict OC symptom severity among

their partners.Non-Cognitive Predictors of Student Success:A Predictive Validity Comparison Between Domestic and International Students

INTRO• In the perinatal period, risk for OC symptoms is

elevated.1 Parents must adapt to an increase in responsibility and experience stress when adjusting to caring for an infant. Research has indicated that these factors can influence levels of OC symptoms.2

• In this study, we aimed to:• See how these factors influence levels of OC

symptoms in the perinatal period for women at high-risk for perinatal OCD and their partners.

METHODS• Participants: n = 69 expecting mothers and their

partners (n = 69); N = 138• Measures: Participants completed a battery of self-

report measures over 5 time periods, including Obsessive Beliefs Questionnaire (OBQ)3, Dimensional Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (DOCS)4, Responsibility Attitudes Scale (RAS)5,

Perceived Stress Scale, (PSS)6, Edinburgh Postnatal Depressive Scale (EPDS)7, Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CESD)8, and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI)9

• Analysis: We ran bivariate correlations and step-wise, linear regressions to test whether the RAS and PSS predicted DOCS symptom subscales.

RESULTS• Women: Responsibility attitudes significantly

predicted OC symptoms across three DOCS subscales (Responsibility for Harm, Contamination, Unacceptable Thoughts), and perceived stress significantly predicted OC symptoms on the Unacceptable Thoughts subscale of the DOCS in high-risk women.

• Partners: In partners, perceived stress significantly predicted OC symptoms across three DOCS subscales (Responsibility for Harm, Unacceptable Thoughts, and Symmetry).

DISCUSSION• These results indicate that perceived stress plays a

role in the experience of OC symptoms in the perinatal period for high-risk women and their partners, while responsibility attitudes only plays a role in the experience of these symptoms in women.

• Further research should investigate the role of stress management and cognitive restructuring around responsibility attitudes in this population as possible preventative/treatment measures for the experience of OC symptoms.

Investigating the Role of Responsibility Attitudes and Perceived Stress in Obsessive-Compulsive (OC) Symptoms in the Perinatal Period

Rachel A. Silver1, Samantha Hellberg1, Jonathan Abramowitz1, Kiara Timpano2

1University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill2University of Miami

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2. Morgado, P., Freitas, D., Bessa, J. M., Sousa, N., & Cerqueira, J. J. (2013). Perceived Stress in Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder is Related with Obsessive but Not Compulsive Symptoms. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 4. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2013.00021

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6. Lee, E. (2012). Review of the Psychometric Evidence of the Perceived Stress Scale. Asian Nursing Research,6(4), 121-127. doi:10.1016/j.anr.2012.08.004

7. Cox, J.L., Holden J.M., & Sagovsky, R. (1987). Detection of postnatal depression. Development of the 10-item Edinburgh postnatal depression scale. British Journal of Psychiatry, 150, 782-786.

8. Dam, N. T., & Earleywine, M. (2011). Validation of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale—Revised (CESD-R): Pragmatic depression assessment in the general population. Psychiatry Research,186(1), 128-132. doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2010.08.018

9. Fydrich, T., Dowdall, D., & Chambless, D. L. (1992). Reliability and validity of the beck anxiety inventory. Journal of Anxiety Disorders,6(1), 55-61. doi:10.1016/0887-6185(92)90026-4

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