In¯ated perception of responsibility for harm in OCD patients with and without checking compulsions: a replication and extension Edna B. Foa a,* , Matthew B. Sacks b , David F. Tolin c , Amy Prezworski d , Nader Amir e a Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, 3535 Market Street, 6th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA b University of North Carolina, Raleigh, NC, USA c The Institute of Living and University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Storrs, CT, USA d Penn State University, State College, PA, USA e University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA Received 19 July 2000; received in revised form 27 November 2000; accepted 20 April 2001 Abstract Inafollow-upstudyto[J.AnxietyDisord.,inpress]examinationofin¯atedperceptionof responsibilityforharmamongindividualswithobsessivecompulsivedisorder(OCs),22OC checkers,24OCnon-checkers,and25non-anxiouscontrols(NACs)completedtheObsessive Compulsive Responsibility Scale (OCRS), which consisted of written descriptions of Low- Risk(LR),Moderate-Risk(MR),andHigh-Risk(HR)scenarios.InLRandMRscenarios,OC checkers reported greater perception of responsibility for harm and greater relief upon rectifying the situation, than did NACs. OC checkers also reported greater urges to rectify LRsituationsthandidNACs.OCnon-checkersdidnotdifferfromNACsonanyofthescales. No group differences emerged for HR scenarios. The results suggest that, compared to OC non-checkers and to NACs, OC checkers have an in¯ated perception of responsibility for harm; and that this perception leads to a need to rectify potentially harmful situations. # 2002 Published by Elsevier Science Inc. Keywords: Obsessive compulsive disorder; In¯ated responsibility; Checking compulsions; Urge to prevent harm Anxiety Disorders 16 (2002) 443±453 * Corresponding author. Tel.: 1-215-746-3327; fax: 1-215-746-3311. E-mail address: foa@mail.med.upenn.edu (E.B. Foa). 0887-6185/02/$ ± see front matter # 2002 Published by Elsevier Science Inc. PII:S0887-6185(02)00128-7