Obsessive-compulsive symptoms and suppression of personally relevant unwanted thoughts

Consequences of thought suppression were compared in people characterized by different levels of obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Eighty-five female students were asked to retrieve an uncomfortable thought. Then they were instructed either to think about anything they liked or to do the same with the exception that they were not to think about the uncomfortable thought. The subjects subsequently wrote down their stream of thought. Then all subjects were asked to think without any limitation for a second period. There was a significant interaction between obsessive-compulsive symptoms measured with the Maudsley Obsession-Compulsion Inventory and initial instruction, with regard to the occurrence of the uncomfortable thought during the first period, for two out of three measures. Alternative explanations of the results are discussed.