2783 – Distress level and treatment outcome in obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD)

Abstract

Previous research has linked OCPD with increased distress levels that may lead to differences in treatment response. The present study aimed to investigate the influence of pre-treatment distress on patient's response to groupbased cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for OCPD. 116 out-patients who met DSM-IV-TR diagnostic criteria for OCPD completed a pre-treatment assessment including BDI, STAI, STAXI-2, GRAI and Rosemberg Self-Esteem Scale. Pre-treatment distress was operationalized as depression and anxiety levels. Intervention was comprised of ten group sessions including psychoeducation, specific CBT techniques and relapse prevention. In order to assess treatment response after intervention, the sample was divided in two groups: 1) discharged patients - responders and 2) patients who needed to continue treatment - non responders. Assessment scores were compared using t test in order to analyze differences between groups. The extent to which potential predictor variables were related to treatment response was assessed using logistic regression. Results showed statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) in depressed mood and state anxiety scores between responder and non-responder groups. Initial variable selection for logistic regression model included age, sex, depression, anxiety, anger, assertiveness and selfesteem scores. The final model included state anxiety as a significant predictor of treatment response. Our findings indicate that responder patients had lower pre-treatment distress levels than non-responder patients and that state anxiety score is a significant predictor of group-based CBT response in OCPD. According to this, pretreatment distress levels might be considered for treatment planning, despite more research in this direction would be necessary.