Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile and Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder

Abstract

We sought to describe how the sensory processing of adults with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) differs from that of the general population within the context of Dunn's (1997) model of sensory processing and to evaluate the discriminant validity of the Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile (AASP). Using unequal variance ttests, the AASP results of 51 adults with OCD were compared with the means of the AASP standardization study's adult age group. Adults with OCD scored higher than the means of the AASP standardization study's adult age group on sensory sensitivity and sensation avoiding, consistent with predictions based on the OCD literature. Adults with OCD also scored higher on low registration and lower on sensation seeking. The results provide a preliminary description of how the sensory processing of adults with OCD differs from that of the general population and preliminary support for the AASP's discriminant validity.