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The Illusory Beliefs Inventory: A New Measure of Magical Thinking and its Relationship with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 May 2011

Bianca L. Kingdon ,
Sarah J. Egan  and
Clare S. Rees
Bianca L. Kingdon
Affiliation:
Curtin University, Perth, Australia
Sarah J. Egan*
Affiliation:
Curtin University, Perth, Australia
Clare S. Rees
Affiliation:
Curtin University, Perth, Australia
*
Reprint requests to Sarah Egan, School of Psychology and Speech Pathology and Curtin Health Research Institute, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, WA, 6845, Australia. E-mail: s.egan@curtin.edu.au
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Abstract

Background: Magical thinking has been proposed to have an aetiological role in obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Aims: To address the limitations of existing measures of magical thinking we developed and validated a new 24-item measure of magical thinking, the Illusory Beliefs Inventory (IBI). Method: The validation sample comprised a total of 1194 individuals across two samples recruited via an Internet based survey. Results: Factor analysis identified three subscales representing domains relevant to the construct of magical thinking: Magical Beliefs, Spirituality, and Internal State and Thought Action Fusion. The scale had excellent internal consistency and evidence of convergent and discriminant validity. Evidence of criterion-related concurrent validity confirmed that magical thinking is a cognitive domain associated with OCD and is largely relevant to neutralizing, obsessing and hoarding symptoms. Conclusions: It is important for future studies to extend the evidence of the psychometric properties of the IBI in new populations and to conduct longitudinal studies to examine the aetiological role of magical thinking.

Keywords

Obsessive compulsive disordermagicalthinking
Type
Research Article
Information
Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy , Volume 40 , Issue 1 , January 2012 , pp. 39 - 53
Copyright
Copyright © British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies 2011

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