Differentiating unwanted intrusive thoughts from thought suppression: what does the White Bear Suppression Inventory measure?

The factor structure and correlational validity of a German version of the White Bear Suppression Inventory (Wegner, & Zanakos, 1994). Chronic thought suppression. Journal of Personality, 62, 615–640 was analysed in a sample of 276 nonclinical participants. Using orthogonal rotation, a two factor solution best represented the underlying structure. One factor was interpreted as "Unwanted Intrusive Thoughts", the other as "Thought suppression". The full scaleʹs correlation with measures of depression, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive behaviour was largely due to the Unwanted Intrusive Thoughts factor rather than the Thought Suppression factor. The Unwanted Intrusive Thoughts factor correlated negatively with avoidant coping. Neither factor correlated with self-disclosure. The theoretical meaning of separating thought intrusions from thought suppression is discussed, leading to the recommendation of differential assessment of these constructs.