Introduction. Cognitive models of obsessive-compulsive disorder rest on three main assumptions: a) obsessive intrusive thoughts (OITs) are almost universal; b) negative appraisals of OITs lead to emotional distress and interference; and c) unhelpful control strategies contribute to the escalation of OITs into clinical obsessions. These assumptions have received ample empirical support from research with adult samples, while studies in children are promising but scarce. The aim of this study was to describe the emotional distress, interference, negative appraisals and control efforts of those children that report having experienced recent and frequent OITs. Method. 49 children (28 girls, mean age 9.1 years, range 8-10) were recruited from a community sample and individually interviewed using the Children’s Anxious Thoughts Interview. First, an interviewer explored whether the children had ever experienced OITs in six content domains, and the frequency and last date of appearance of the thought were recorded. Then, children were asked to appraise any OITs that they experienced recently (in the last 3 months) and frequently (rated at least 50 in a 100 mm. scale). Children appraised their OITs using a visual analogue scale (100 mm.), in the following domains: 1) emotional reaction (sad, angry, scared, nervous, surprised, and upset); 2) cognitive appraisals (belief the OIT was important, distracting or could come true; and 3) how effective their attempts to manage the OIT were. Strategies used to cope with the thought were explored with an open question and a list of examples from which participants selected the ones they used. Results. From the initial 49 children, 14 children (9 girls, mean age 9.2) reported at least one recent and frequent OIT. The highest-rated emotional reactions were “nervous” (mean = 75.3), “surprised” (68.6) and “scared” (65.4); emotions related to anxiety were also the most frequently mentioned when freely describing how they felt after an OIT. OITs were considered moderately upsetting (64.6), for reasons mostly related to fears of something bad happening (n=7) or their emotional impact (n=5). On average, children regarded the OITs as important (79.6) and distracting (71.4), but were only moderately convinced that it could come true (51.4). The strategies most frequently reported by the children included thought control, either through suppression, distraction or substitution; however, only 3 children rated their attempts at suppression as clearly successful. Compulsive behaviours were reported by only 4 out of 14 children. Discussion. Non-clinical children between 8 and 10 years old described their OITs as upsetting due to their anxiety-provoking qualities. OITs were managed through, mostly unsuccessful, thought control strategies. These results are consistent with the cognitive model of OCD and show that children in this age group can report unwanted intrusive thoughts with obsessive contents if interviewed by a developmentally appropriate instrument such as the CATI. Acknowledgment. Grant RTI2018-098349-B-I00-Ministry of Science and Innovation – State Research Agency of Spain, co-funded by the European Union European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).