Relationship- and partner-focused obsessive-compulsive symptoms (ROCD) are defined as obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCD) that occur within close relationships. Although these symptoms have been suggested as a distinct OCD subtype, there are ongoing discussions about whether they represent genuine obsessions or merely worry and rumination.
To address this, the present study examined conditional dependencies and probabilities among ROCD and general OCD sub-dimensions using network analytic approaches with 1701 non-clinical participants recruited via convenience sampling; therefore, findings were interpreted at the symptom level. Gaussian Graphical Models (GGM) and Bayesian networks (BN) were estimated to investigate unique associations between symptoms. Results indicated that, in both the GGM and BN models, "obsessions" might function as a bridge symptom. ROCD symptoms appeared to form one network community, while general OCD symptoms formed a separate community; the BN further suggested that these communities could be linked via obsessions and doubts about the partner's love, a pattern consistent with the GGM model.
Notably, doubts about a partner's love constitute the only ROCD subdimension directed toward another person's inner state, whereas the other subdimensions primarily center on one's own emotions and cognitions about the relationship or the partner. This other-focused quality, especially when considered alongside risk factors such as fear of abandonment and partner-contingent self-worth, may explain why these doubts uniquely bridged ROCD with "obsessions" subdimension of general OCD. Findings also indicate that ROCD and OCD may not be entirely independent constructs, with doubts about the partner's love exhibiting a more obsessive quality. According to the psychological network theory, clinical applications targeting these doubts could alleviate ROCD symptoms, highlighting a potential focus for clinical interventions. Future research should investigate these networks in clinical populations, track longitudinal changes, and test whether interventions targeting bridge symptoms produce broader symptom reduction in both ROCD and general OCD.