Intolerance of uncertainty, not just right experiences, and compulsive checking: Test of a moderated mediation model on a non-clinical sample

Objective: Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) and not just right experiences (NJREs) have been claimed putative vulnerability factors for obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). The aim of the present study was to test whether IU could represent a trans-diagnostic construct accountable for OC checking behaviors and whether NJREs could embody an OCD-specific criterion through which IU operates. Method: One hundred and eighty-eight Italian community individuals completed self-report measures of IU, NJREs, OC symptoms, worry, anxiety, and depression. Mediation and moderated mediation models were tested using a bootstrapping approach, wherein IU was included as the independent variable as well as the moderator; checking behaviors were entered as the dependent variable; and NJRE severity was included as a mediator. Results: The main findings highlighted that NJREs were a mediator of the relationship between IU and checking behaviors; nonetheless, in connection with medium levels of IU, NJREs no longer mediated the path. Furthermore, IU did not emerge to moderate the mediation. Conclusion: Despite their preliminary nature, the present results might be a hint for future research, as theoretical integration may represent a way to go for better understanding OCD etiology and phenomenology.