Abstract

the present study aimed to the comparison of the intolerance of uncertainty (IU) and short-term memory capacity in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder and normal individuals. a total of 30 patients (16 female, 14 male) with obsessive-compulsive were selected using convenience sampling from the psychiatric clinics and centers of Tabriz were matched with 30 patients (16 females and 14 males) of normal individuals by demographic information, and all of them were assessed through Baher & Dougas’s intolerance of uncertainty scale and the Wechsler Digit span test subscales .Data were analyzed by multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and as well as SPSS version 19. The results showed that there is a significant difference between the two groups in terms of IU (P<0/01) and the difference in patients with OCD is more than normal individuals. Also, there is a significant difference in terms of the short-term memory capacity (P<0/01) and the difference in normal individuals is more than patients with OCD . So it can be concluded that patients with OCD have less ability to tolerate uncertainty than normal people and short-term memory capacity in these patients is lower than normal people. Therefore, intolerance of uncertainty and low working memory capacity are two factors that may affect OCD symptoms and therefore exacerbate and perpetuate the disorder.