Past research has demonstrated that anxiety disorders represent a significant mental health concern. A review of the literature in the area indicates that there is limited information regarding gender differences on the basis of cognitions in clinical or nonclinical samples. The current investigation sought to determine whether any observable gender differences existed in the expression of symptoms, cognitions, and anxiety sensitivity for a nonclinical sample of 48 males and 49 females. Multivariate analyses of variance revealed support for gender differences in the expression of physiological hyperarousal, catastrophic cognitions and a general level of anxiety sensitivity in a nonclinical population. The strengths, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed.

The psychometric properties of a new scale, the Obsessive Compulsive Inventory (OCI; Foa, Kozak, Salkovskis, Coles, & Amir, 1998), were examined in a nonclinical student sample. The study was a partial replication of the original validation study by Foa et al. Test-retest reliability, internal consistency, and convergent validity were examined using a sample of 126 undergraduate psychology students. Statistical analyses (Pearson's r and Cronbach's alpha) indicated adequate test-retest reliability for the full scales and subscales (coefficients ranging from 0.69 to 0.88) and high internal consistency (all coefficients exceeding 0.7). Convergent validity with the Maudsley Obsessional Compulsive Inventory (MOCI; Hodgson & Rachman, 1977) was adequate for the full scales and for the Washing and Checking subscales (coefficients ranging from 0.61 to 0.75). The OCI is a useful supplement to existing self-report measures of obsessive-compulsive symptomatology.