(PS7-C70) Race Moderates the Association Between Intolerance of Uncertainty and OCD Symptoms

Research suggests that intolerance of uncertainty (IU) plays a role in the development and maintenance of OCD symptoms (e.g., Boswell et al., 2013; Ladouceur et al., 2020). To advance this domain, scholars have examined this association in racially diverse samples. Sadeh and Bounoua (2023) found no mean-level differences on trait IU for matched Black vs. White community adults but did find that IU was more strongly associated with current psychiatric symptoms in Black participants. Yook et al. (2015) found that IU was significantly associated with OCD symptoms in Black individuals but not in White individuals. Overall, these studies highlight the potential importance of considering racial identity when conceptualizing the role of IU in psychopathology symptom experience. The current study investigated the role of racial identity in the relationship between IU and OCD symptoms in a large nonclinical sample.

Undergraduate students (n = 3,124) self-identified as White (n = 1,503), Black (n = 743), Asian (n = 216), or Hispanic (n = 662). Each completed a battery of questionnaires, including the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale (IUS; Buhr et al., 2002) and the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised (OCI-R; Foa et al., 2002).

Moderation analyses were performed using the PROCESS macro (Hayes, 2012). The overall model, with race/ethnicity moderating the effect of IUS on the OCI-R total score (hoarding subscale was not included in OCI-R total score), was significant (F_{(7, 3116)} = 200.80, p < .001). IU significantly predicted OC symptoms after controlling for race/ethnicity (β = 0.24, SE = 0.01, t₍₃₁₁₆₎ = 23.99, p < .001). The overall interaction between IUS and race had a significant effect on OCI-R total score (F_{(7, 3116)} = 4.44, p = .004). When probing the interaction, the effect of IUS on OCI-R significantly differed between White and Black individuals (β = .06, SE = .02, t₍₃₁₁₆₎ = 3.27, p = .001). Conversely, the interaction between IUS and race was not significant between White and Asian individuals or White and Hispanic individuals (p > .05). Conditional effects of IUS on OCI-R were significant for all four racial groups, but the effect was strongest for Black individuals (β = .30, SE = .01, t₍₃₁₁₆₎ = 20.60, p < .001) and weakest for Hispanic individuals (β = .25, SE = .03, t₍₃₁₁₆₎ = 9.98, p < .001).

These results suggest that the relationship between IU and OCD symptoms is moderated by race, with IU being a stronger predictor of OCD symptoms for Black individuals than other groups. This finding highlights the importance of broadly considering cultural factors, such as race, when conceptualizing OCD symptoms, and of inviting participation from diverse samples. Such considerations are critical to assessment and treatment efforts with individuals from historically marginalized groups who present with OCD symptoms. Future research needs to determine whether elevated IU confers a specific risk for OCD symptom experience in Black individuals.