Structural Relationships between Alexithymia and Perfectionism with the Mediating Role of Anxiety Sensitivity in Predicting Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in Students

The present study aimed to investigate the structural relationships between alexithymia and perfectionism with the mediating role of anxiety sensitivity in predicting obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in students. The design of this study is quantitative in nature. The research method is descriptive-correlational and was conducted through structural equation modeling. The statistical population in this study included all high school students in Khorramabad during the academic year 2023-2024. The sampling method used was cluster random sampling. The research instruments included the Revised Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory (OCI-R), the Perfectionism Inventory (PI), the Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI), and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20). Descriptive findings were analyzed using SPSS26 software and inferential findings were analyzed using AMOS24 software. The direct effect of maladaptive perfectionism (β=0.36, p<0.001) and alexithymia (β=0.31, p<0.001) on obsessive-compulsive disorder was significant. Additionally, the direct effect of maladaptive perfectionism (β=0.43, p<0.001) and alexithymia (β=0.48, p<0.001) on anxiety sensitivity was significant. The indirect effect of maladaptive perfectionism and alexithymia on obsessive-compulsive disorder through the mediation of anxiety sensitivity was also significant (β=0.15, p<0.03 and β=0.168, p<0.001, respectively), and the model fit was confirmed. The results showed that maladaptive perfectionism and alexithymia significantly predict OCD symptoms through anxiety sensitivity. The conceptual model of the study had a good fit (CFI=0.98, RMSEA=0.05), indicating that the hypothetical structure of the model effectively explained the relationships between the variables. Therefore, psychological interventions aimed at reducing anxiety sensitivity and managing perfectionism and alexithymia can be effective in reducing OCD symptoms.