Comparison of patterns of obssesions and compulsions in digital and non-digital setting

Vidović, Valerija. (2019). Comparison of patterns of obssesions and compulsions in digital and non-digital setting. Diploma Thesis. Filozofski fakultet u Zagrebu, Department of Psychology. [mentor Jokić-Begić, Nataša].

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Abstract

With the continuous growth in number of Internet, social media and technology users, more and more everyday activities migrate towards virtual world. Similarly, more researches in psychology are devoted to examining the behavior of people suffering from different psychological disorders in a digital world and correlation between internet and technology usage and the development of psychological disorders. The aim of this research was to describe and compare the patterns of obsessions and compulsions in digital and non-digital setting and to examine the correlation of technology and internet usage and obsessive – compulsive disorder in three age groups. Qualitative method used was the semi-structured interview, with 9 participants, three in each age group, 7 women and 2 men. The results suggest that participants with obsessions only don't project them into digital setting, while participants with both obsessions and compulsions project mainly compulsions. Additionally, the research shows that internet has a significant influence on the development of obsessive – compulsive disorder. Most of the participants report developing new obsessions or compulsions, part of them report that they haven't developed new OCD patterns, but that the disorder affects a significant part of their life, while the least participants report that they've experienced short-term changes which haven't had a long-term impact on their obsessive – compulsive disorder. Most of the participants also report that internet has a significant influence on their everyday life. These trends suggest that psychotherapeutic interventions should also consider the digital aspect of obsessive – compulsive disorder.

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