Previous research has linked childhood maltreatment, emotional abuse in particular, and associated emotions to maladaptive daydreaming (MD), though the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. This study investigated the roles of control-centered metacognitions, feared self, OCD symptoms, and dissociation in this relationship in individuals OCD.

In a cross-sectional design, a sample of 300 individuals diagnosed with OCD completed measures assessing childhood maltreatment, trauma-related emotions, metacognitions, feared self, OCD symptoms, dissociative experiences, and MD.

Individuals experiencing MD exhibited significantly elevated levels of emotional abuse, trauma-related emotional responses, feared self-concept, control-related metacognitions, OCD symptoms, and dissociation compared to non-MD controls. Analyses also revealed that the feared self and dissociation, both independently and as a serial mediator, linked emotional abuse and trauma-related emotions to MD. Furthermore, while control metacognitions and OCD symptoms each, in sequence with dissociation, indirectly associated trauma-related emotions with MD, this pathway was not significant for emotional abuse.

These findings establish the essential function of feared self and dissociative experiences as individually, alongside the interplay between feared self, control metacognitions and OCD symptoms with dissociation, in bridging childhood emotional abuse and related emotions with MD.