(PS7-C63) Analyzing Predictors of "Not Just Right" Experience (NJRE) Severity

Growing evidence suggests that obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptoms can be driven by "not just right" experiences (NJREs). Researchers have developed several NJRE measures, each capturing different aspects of NJREs. The Not Just Right Experiences-Questionnaire Revised (NJRE-QR) is state based and evaluates the severity of a recent NJRE episode. The Obsessive-Compulsive Trait Core Dimensions Questionnaire (OCTCDQ-R2) examines the dispositional tendency to experience trait-like sense of incompleteness. Lastly, the PIC-NR10 is a picture-based measure that produces in-the-moment ratings of NJREs with visual stimuli depicting irregular symmetry, ordering, and arranging (SOA) context. NJREs often reflect the compulsive behavioral tendency to modify environmental cues and achieve an idiosyncratic sense of right-ness, mostly relying on overt rituals such as ordering, arranging, checking, and washing. Thus, we hypothesize that among various OCD symptom domains, overt rituals such as ordering, checking, and washing, will emerge as strong predictors of NJREs, even when considering demographics, OC symptom severity, and other relevant emotional variables. Our sample consisted of N = 126 university students. Participants identified as largely female (77.0%; 19.8% male; 3.2% other), who’s ages range from 18-59 (M = 24.6 years, SD = 7.1), and identified as primarily White (78.6%; 11.1% Asian; 9.5% Black or African American). Participants took a series of self-report questionnaires relating to demographics, general psychological distress (DASS-21), NJREs (NJRE-QR, OCTCDQ-R2, and PIC-NR10), difficulties with emotion regulation (DERS-SF), general impulsivity (BIS-11), distress tolerance (DTS), and severity of OC symptoms (OCI-R). The mean OCI-R score of the sample was M = 22.24 (SD = 14.38). Hierarchical linear regressions were conducted to examine the relative contribution of the OCI-R subtypes in predicting NJRE severity for each measure. Overall, OCD-related ordering symptoms were the strongest predictor for NJREs across the three measures (NJRE-QR: β = .163, p < .001; OCTCDQ-R2: β = 1.58, p < .001; PIC-NR10: β = .279, p < .001). Additionally, NJRE-QR scores were predicted by obsessing (β = .084, p < .055) and depressive symptoms (β = .065, p < .05). OCTCDQ-R2 scores were predicted by checking (β = .469, p < .05) and obsessing (β = .527, p < .05). Lastly, PIC-NR10 ratings were only predicted by ordering. Adding the OCI-R subtypes to the regression model explained a significant amount of variance in NJRE in addition to other covariates (NJRE-QR: R2 change = .142; OCTCDQ-R2: R2 change = .297; PIC-NR10: R2 change = .175). This study provides a new insight into the field of OCD in that distinct OCD symptom domains contribute to different presentations of NJREs. Ordering symptoms consistently emerged as the strongest predictor of NJREs across the three different measures. Obsessional symptoms also were associated with both state-level and trait-level NJREs. These findings suggest that NJREs are strongly associated with severity of mental intrusions and compulsive rituals to order/arrange environmental cues. This line of research provides important insight on how NJREs should be assessed and treated in the context of heterogenous OC symptoms.