Compulsive Scale Research Articles

The Validation of the Rumination on Obsessions and Compulsions Scale (ROCS) in an Iranian Clinical and Non-Clinical Sample

The Validation of the Rumination on Obsessions and Compulsions Scale (ROCS) in an Iranian Clinical and Non-Clinical Sample

Clinical and Sociodemographic Differences in Adult Women and Men with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Aim/background: Gender is related to differences in the prevalences, manifestations and comorbidities of mental disorders. Findings on the effect of sex on adults with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are limited and inconsistent. We aimed to compare male and females with OCD in a large sample of adults. Methods: We included 559 patients with OCD (299 females, 50.68%). We employed the Yale-Brown Obsession and Compulsion Scale (Y-BOCS), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale-17 (HDRS-17) and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). We gathered data about the onset of illness, the years of education, marital status, long-term unemployment, history of hospitalization and suicide attempts, lifetime attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), tic disorder, alcohol use disorder (AUD), substance use disorder (SUD), smoking and symptom dimensions. Results: The Y-BOCS, HDRS-17 and BAI scores were significantly higher in women. Men were characterized by earlier onset of OCD, younger age, longer years of education, higher prevalence of past or current tic disorders and higher frequency of AUD/SUD and smoking. Ratio of being married was higher among women whereas most of males were never-married. History of suicide attempt was more common among women. Conclusions: Our research offers additional support for variations in clinical characteristics of OCD based on gender. It is essential to investigate the biological foundation of gender differences on OCD.

Acceptance and commitment therapy as an add-on treatment for the management of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic and long-lasting illness affecting approximately 2% of the population. Up to 40%-60% of patients with OCD do not have satisfactory outcomes, thereby leading to disability in performing daily routine activities. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) provides a substitute for old-fashioned psychotherapies, as it involves the client directly experiencing the problematic emotion, that is, anxiety and obsessions in the case of OCD. To observe the effect of ACT on patients with OCD and compare its effect on obsessive compulsive symptoms, thought control, thought and action fusion, acceptance and action, and depression. A total of 62 patients diagnosed with OCD as per Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) in the age range between 18 and 60 years, having duration of illness less than two years, both male and female, literate and illiterate, hailing from rural and urban background, were included in the study. For pre- and post-assessment Yale-Brown Obsessive and Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), acceptance and commitment questionnaire, thought control questionnaire, and thought and action fusion questionnaire were used in this study, and ACT was used for management of OCD. There is a significant difference between the groups treated with ACT and those treated as usual, on every domain of thought control questionnaire (TCQ) -- distraction (t = 9.07), social control (t = 11.13), worry (t = 11.93), punishment (t = 16.78), and re-appraisal (t = 16.47). Significance is also seen in the thought and action fusion in the moral domain (t = 16.22), the likelihood domain (t = 16.49), and others (t = 9.23). On Y-BOCS, HDRS, and acceptance and action questionnaire (AAQ) both groups show a significant difference between each other. The findings of the present study indicate that ACT is a productive method for patients with OCD as it encourages the patient to accept and integrate their lived experiences, challenges effective responses, and recognizes and eliminates the controlling dimensions.

A clinical investigation of psychotic vulnerability in early-onset Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder through Cognitive-Perceptive basic symptoms.

Childhood-onset Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) shows distinct comorbidity patterns and developmental pathways, as well as an increased risk of psychosis with respect to adult-onset forms. Nevertheless, little is known about the prodromal symptoms of psychosis in children and adolescents with a primary diagnosis of OCD. The present study was aimed at evaluating the occurrence of Cognitive-Perceptual basic symptoms (COPER) and high- risk criterion Cognitive Disturbances (COGDIS) in pediatric and adults OCD patients, verifying if they might vary according to the age of onset of OCD. The study included 90 outpatients with a primary diagnosis of obsessive-compulsive disorder. The study sample was collapsed into three groups according to the age at onset: 1) very early onset group (< 10years); 2) early onset group (11-18years); 3) adult-onset group (> 18years). All patients were administered the Yale-Brown Obsessive- Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) and its Child version (CY-BOCS), the Schizophrenia Proneness Instrument-Adult (SPIA) and its Child and Adolescent version (SPI-CY) and the Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale (SOFAS). COPER and COGDIS symptoms were positively associated with OCD severity and detectable, respectively, in 28.9 and 26.7% of our study sample. The very early onset group significantly had higher COPER and COGDIS symptoms than the adult-onset group. Our data suggest that COPER and COGDIS symptoms are frequent in obsessive patients, in particular in those with earlier onset; therefore, their detection in childhood-onset OCD may represent an early and specific indicator of psychotic vulnerability.

A diffusion tensor imaging study in schizophrenia patients with clozapine induced obsessive compulsive symptoms.

The aim of this study was to evaluate brain connectivity by diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in schizophrenia patients with clozapine-induced obsessive compulsive symptoms (OCS). Eighteen schizophrenia patients, nine of which had clozapine-induced OCS (Clz-OCS (+)), 9 without OCS (Clz-OCS (-)) and 9 healthy controls were included. Psychopathology was evaluated with Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale and Yale-Brown Obsession and Compulsion Scale in the patient groups. All groups were assesed with neurocognitive tests and DTI. Tract-Based Spatial Statistics based comparison of DTI revealed lower fractional anisotropy in the genu of corpus callosum (CC), right cingulum, left frontal white matter (WM) in the Clz-OCS (+) group, compared to controls. Fractional anisotropy was found to be lower in the bilateral occipital WM and higher in the bilateral medial temporal regions, anterior limb of internal capsule, cingulum, frontoparietal peripheral WM, right external capsule and genu of CC in Clz-OCS (+) patients compared to Clz-OCS (-). WM integrity in several pathways such as cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical circuitry and orbito-frontal tracts seems to be affected differently in patients with Clz-OCS (+). Different neuroplastic effects of clozapine leading to occurrence of OCS in a subgroup of patients is possible, and needs further evaluation by longitudinal follow-up studies.

A retrospective research on non-suicidal self-injurious behaviors among young patients diagnosed with mood disorders.

BackgroundNon-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is an emerging public concern in both clinical and non-clinical settings, especially in the background of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Nevertheless, knowledge of NSSI on a certain disease entity in the later stage of the pandemic was scarce.ObjectiveThis study was conducted for the purpose of exploring the current occurrence and characteristics of NSSI in patients diagnosed with mood disorders (MDs) as well as its correlated factors in the later stage of the pandemic.MethodsThree hundred and forty-nine eligible subjects (M ± SD, 21.54 ± 7.62) admitted to a mental health center in Wuhan from 11 November 2021 to 31 January 2022 were included in our study. An umbrella questionnaire comprised of demographics, COVID-19-related factors, Yale-Brown Obsessive and Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index-Revised (PSQI-R), Mobile Phone Addiction Index (MPAI), and Ottawa Self-injury Inventory (OSI) was extended to each subject via shared QR code.ResultsOf 349 patients with MDs included, 151 (43.27%) reported NSSI in the recent 1 month, among whom hand, lower arm/wrist, and scalp were the most hurt body parts, and cutting, hitting, and headbanging were the most adopted methods. “Own idea” was the most common origin of NSSI. In the logistic regression model, age bracket, family monthly income, occupation, level of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms, sleep duration, withdrawal reaction to the mobile phone, and habits of using a mobile phone were independently associated with NSSI.ConclusionIt was revealed by our study that NSSI was quite prevalent among patients with MDs, especially among those students, adolescents, comorbid with OCD symptoms, inadequate sleeping hours, and suffering from withdrawal reaction to mobile phones. Further research on NSSI in various psychiatric disorders and even in non-clinical settings such as the community population was in urgent need since NSSI in China was not rare.

Predicting patients who will drop out of out-patient psychotherapy using machine learning algorithms.

About 30% of patients drop out of cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), which has implications for psychiatric and psychological treatment. Findings concerning drop out remain heterogeneous. This paper aims to compare different machine-learning algorithms using nested cross-validation, evaluate their benefit in naturalistic settings, and identify the best model as well as the most important variables. The data-set consisted of 2543 out-patients treated with CBT. Assessment took place before session one. Twenty-one algorithms and ensembles were compared. Two parameters (Brier score, area under the curve (AUC)) were used for evaluation. The best model was an ensemble that used Random Forest and nearest-neighbour modelling. During the training process, it was significantly better than generalised linear modelling (GLM) (Brier score: d = -2.93, 95% CI (-3.95, -1.90)); AUC: d = 0.59, 95% CI (0.11 to 1.06)). In the holdout sample, the ensemble was able to correctly identify 63.4% of cases of patients, whereas the GLM only identified 46.2% correctly. The most important predictors were lower education, lower scores on the Personality Style and Disorder Inventory (PSSI) compulsive scale, younger age, higher scores on the PSSI negativistic and PSSI antisocial scale as well as on the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) additional scale (mean of the four additional items) and BSI overall scale. Machine learning improves drop-out predictions. However, not all algorithms are suited to naturalistic data-sets and binary events. Tree-based and boosted algorithms including a variable selection process seem well-suited, whereas more advanced algorithms such as neural networks do not.

Obsessive-compulsive symptoms in pregnancy: Their relationship with obsessive beliefs and obsessive-compulsive personality traits.

Literature findings are limited and inconsistent on the relationship between obsessive beliefs and obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS) and to our knowledge no data are available in pregnant population. Additionally, an interesting field that has not been adequately studied is the relationship between obsessive-compulsive personality traits and OCS while there are no corresponding studies in perinatal period. The aims of the study were to examine the relationship between OCS presented in pregnancy and obsessive beliefs considered to underlie them as well as their association with obsessive-compulsive personality traits. 30 pregnant women with OCS, regardless of their underlying diagnosis, were recruited from a University Psychiatric Hospital and privately. They completed the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI), the Yale-Brown Obsessive- Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS), the Dysfunctional Beliefs Questionnaire-44 (OBQ-44), the Leyton Trait Scale and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). The main symptoms were aggression (73.3%), contamination (53.3%) obsessions and cleansing/washing (50%), checking (43.3%) compulsions. Pregnant women with obsessive-compulsive personality traits displayed symmetry/exactness obsessions (p=0.020) and cleansing/washing (p=0.011) compulsions as predominant types of OCS and greater severity of compulsions (p=0.049). The results of the logistic regression model suggest that obsessive beliefs of importance/control of thoughts and of responsibility/threat estimation predicted OCS while the belief of perfectionism/certainty did not predict any dimension of OCS. It is noteworthy that most observed relationships between obsessive beliefs and OCS remained even after controlling for variables of anxiety and depression, suggesting that obsessive beliefs have a specific relationship with OCS which is independent of other forms of psychopathology. Depressive symptoms comorbidity increased OCS severity, while in comorbidity with anxiety symptoms no difference in severity of OCS was found. Further research is needed to test our findings in larger and more diverse samples.

Sexual obsessions in children and adolescents: Prevalence, clinical correlates, response to cognitive-behavior therapy and long-term follow up

Sexual obsessions occur in pediatric and adult OCD including thoughts about sexual acts with family members, sexually inappropriate behavior, or homosexual orientation. They may remain undiagnosed because of embarrassment to report thoughts that are perceived as unacceptable. Prevalence studies of sexual obsessions in pediatric populations are rare. The present study investigated prevalence of sexual obsessions and treatment outcome compared to youth with OCD without sexual obsessions in a large sample. Sexual obsessions and OCD severity were assessed with the Children’s Yale-Brown Obsessive- Compulsive Scale in all 269 participants of the Nordic Longterm OCD Treatment study (mean age 12.8 years, 48.7% boys) at baseline, after treatment and three years follow-up. Treatment consisted in individual manualized CBT with exposure and response prevention. Patients with and without sexual obsessions were compared on clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes. Sexual obsessions were reported by 18%, those with sexual obsessions were slightly older (13.5 versus 12.7 years). Both groups had no difference in treatment outcome, suggesting that if addressed, the response to CBT is similar in sexual, as in other obsessions. Clinicians need to be aware that children may need help to disclose and to identify these thoughts as obsessions to address them in treatment.

Autistic Traits and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in Patients with Migraine With or Without Aura

Background: Migraine is one of the most common neurological disorders and often shows comorbidity with psychiatric disorders. Data regarding comorbidity between migraine and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are limited. In addition, although anxiety disorders such as obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) are commonly encountered with migraine, and the fact that the OCD and ASD relationship is well established, there are conflicting results concerning the possible relationships between migraine and OCD. The purpose of this study is to understand is there any relationship between ASD, OCD and migraine. Methods: The study included only females, 40 with migraine and 26 without migraine or any other type of headache syndrome or neurological disorders. The study included people aged between 20 and 61 years of age. Migraineurs were divided into two groups according to the presence/absence of aura. Demographic and clinical variables were recorded. Diagnosis of OCD was made by using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV). Obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS) and OCD severity and content was assessed by the Yale Brown Obsession and Compulsion Scale (YBOCS). Autistic traits were rated by use of the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ). Results: The YBOCS and AQ total scores were higher in patients with migraine (vs. controls) and those with aura (vs. non-aura); however, in both of these comparisons, the ‘attention switching’ and ‘imagination’ subscales (of the AQ) were found to be similar among the compared groups. Subclinical OCD was significantly more frequent in migraineurs (vs. controls) and those with aura (vs. non-aura). OCD diagnosis was similar among migraineurs and controls, but the aura group had significantly higher frequency of OCD compared to the non-aura group. Conclusion: According to our results, migraine and the presence of aura in migraineurs appear to be associated with OCD and autistic traits (as measured by the YBOCS and the AQ).

Obsessive Beliefs and Clinical Features in Patients with Comorbid Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are two common neuropsychiatric conditions. Obsessive beliefs, comprising the importance and control of intrusive thoughts, inflated sense of responsibility for harm, overestimations of threat, perfectionism, and intolerance of uncertainty have been suggested to influence OCD symptomatology. Although OCD patients with ADHD have been reported to have different clinical characteristics compared to patients with OCD without ADHD, it has not been previously investigated whether OCD patients with and without ADHD differ in terms of obsessive beliefs. The aim of this study was to compare the obsessive beliefs and obsessive-compulsive symptoms of OCD patients with and without ADHD. The study included a total of 197 OCD patients who were assessed with the sociodemographic data form, Wender Utah Rating Scale, Turgay's Adult ADD/ADHD Diagnosis and Evaluation Scale, The Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale, Obsessive Beliefs Questionnaire-44 (OBQ-44), Yale-Brown Obsessions and Compulsions Scale, Dimensional Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (DOCS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). The scores of all subscales of OBQ-44, the responsibility, unacceptable thoughts, and symmetry subscales of DOCS, BDI, and BAI scores were higher in the OCD with ADHD group than in the OCD only group. The results showed that when depression and anxiety were controlled, "the importance and control of intrusive thoughts" domain of obsessive beliefs was the unique predictor of OCD and ADHD comorbidity. These findings provide a better understanding of cognitive features in OCD patients with ADHD.

Treatment Outcomes of Gamma-Knife Radio Surgery in Refractory Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a common disease that has negative effects on functionality, and 10% of the patients do not respond to first-line treatments. Gamma-knife radiosurgery (GKRS) has been used in patients with treatment-resistant OCD, but the data on long-term outcomes are still unsatisfactory. In this study, 12 patients who underwent GKRS between 2005 and 2020 were evaluated retrospectively. Anterior capsulotomy was performed using two 4-mm isocenters at the midputaminal point of the anterior limb of the internal capsule on each side with a maximum radiation dose of 140-180 Gy. Patients were followed up with the Yale-Brown Obsession and Compulsion Scale (Y-BOCS), Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), and Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) on the first, third, and sixth months. After the procedure, a 35% reduction was observed in the overall Y-BOCS scores, and full response rate was 50%. There was a 49.5% decrease in the MADRS scores and a 57.8% decrease in the BPRS. GKRS is an effective and non-invasive procedure with favorable side effects in treatment-resistant OCD with selected patients.

Alcohol-related changes in behaviors and characteristics from the baseline to the randomization session for treatment and non-treatment seeking participants with alcohol use disorder

ABSTRACT Background Participants who are enrolled in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) may be more motivated to change their behaviors after being enrolled in a study and that motivation may vary by treatment status. Objectives The objectives of this secondary analysis were to investigate if changes in alcohol-related behaviors/characteristics from the baseline to the randomization session differed overall and to assess those differences between non-treatment and treatment seeking individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD). Methods Our sample included participants from eight RCTs conducted at Brown University (N = 281, 34% female). To assess differences across alcohol-related behaviors/characteristics, we investigated changes in craving (obsessive compulsive drinking scale) and alcohol drinking (percent abstinent days, drinks per week (DPW) and percent heavy drinking days (HDD)) overall and between treatment status. Results Results showed that there were baseline differences, such as increased AUD severity and craving for alcohol in treatment seeking participants (p’s < .05) in the overall sample. Next, we showed that craving, DPW and HDD decreased and percent abstinent days increased from baseline to randomization (p’s < .05). When controlling for treatment status and sociodemographic characteristics, treatment seeking, compared to non-treatment seeking participants, had a greater reduction in alcohol craving (p < .001) and a greater increase in percentage of drinking days (p < .01). Conclusions These findings demonstrated that alcohol-related behaviors and characteristics changed after enrollment. Severity, craving and drinking behaviors also differed between treatment-seeking status, which can potentially impact medication development stages for AUD such as clinical trial eligibility, enrollment and study outcomes.

Neurocognitive Empowerment for Addiction Treatment (NEAT): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

BackgroundNeurocognitive deficits (NCDs) and associated meta-cognition difficulties associated with chronic substance use often delay the learning and change process necessary for addiction recovery and relapse prevention. However, very few cognitive remediation programs have been developed to target NCDs and meta-cognition for substance users. The study described herein aims to investigate the efficacy of a multi-component neurocognitive rehabilitation and awareness program termed “Neurocognitive Empowerment for Addiction Treatment” (NEAT). NEAT is a fully manualized, cartoon-based intervention involving psychoeducation, cognitive practice, and compensatory strategies relevant across 10 major cognitive domains, including aspects of attention, memory, executive functions, and decision-making.Method/designIn a single-blind randomized controlled trial (RCT), 80 female opioid and/or methamphetamine users will be recruited from an addiction recovery program providing an alternative to incarceration for women with substance use-related offenses. Eight groups of 9–12 participants will be randomized into NEAT or treatment-as-usual (TAU). NEAT involves 14 90-min sessions, delivered twice weekly. The primary outcome is change in self-reported drug craving from before to after intervention using Obsessive Compulsive Drug Use Scale. Secondary and exploratory outcomes include additional psychological, neurocognitive, and structural and functional neuroimaging measures. Clinical measures will be performed at five time points (pre- and post-intervention, 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-up); neuroimaging measures will be completed at pre- and post-intervention.DiscussionThe present RCT is the first study to examine the efficacy of an adjunctive neurocognitive rehabilitation and awareness program for addiction. Results from this study will provide initial information concerning potential clinical efficacy of the treatment, as well as delineate neural mechanisms potentially targeted by this novel intervention.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.govNCT03922646. Registered on 22 April 2019

The MCMI-IV: A New Normal Quartet for Parental Fitness Litigants

The Millon series (i.e., MCMI-II/MCMI-III) has a longstanding history of use in clinical and forensic settings. For forensic psychologists, the Millon series can serve as a unique tool in evaluations related to parental fitness due to its incorporation of DSM diagnostic categories and the use of base rate (BR) scores. There is limited research on parental fitness populations broadly, though previous research has found a common positive impression management style referred to as the normal quartet with forensic populations on the MCMI-III. It is unknown if there is a continued presence of the normal quartet in the MCMI-IV, published in 2015. With the current study, we examined parental fitness litigant response patterns on the MCMI-IV and assessed the presence of a normal quartet. The sample consisted of 330 parental fitness litigants in the northeast region of the United States. Results of the current study suggest a new normal quartet: elevations on the Desirability (Y), Histrionic (4A), Turbulent (4B), and Compulsive (7) scales. The clinical implications for the use of the MCMI-IV by forensic psychologists with parental fitness litigants are discussed including limitations and areas for future research.

Reliability and Validity of Compulsive Buying Scale Without Middle Point

Objective: The study aims at finding out the affect of reliability and validity for the compulsive buying behavior scale by Valence, d’ Astou’s and Fortier Scale without middle point.&#x0D; Methodology: Responses across 5 to 9 point scales are obtained to calculate the reliability and validity of compulsive buying behavior scale by Valence, d’ Astou’s and Fortier Scale. Cronbach’s alpha is used to measure the internal reliability of the scale. To compare the reliability coefficients among different scale points Feldt test and Hakstian-Whalen test are used. Convergent validity for measuring inter-correlations between scales with different numbers of response categories is used and Fisher’s –r to –z transformation is used to test population correlation coefficient.&#x0D; Conclusion: From study it is concluded that there is no change in reliability and validity when the middle point is dropped from the compulsive buying scale.

An Analogue Study to Examine the Potency of Group Metacognitive Therapy on OCD Symptoms Among Subclinical OCRD Subjects in Government Head Quarters Hospital at Erode

Context: The analogue study involves subjects that are analogous or similar to the actual clinical phenomena of interest. In this study subjects with very mild symptoms of OCD were tested. Aim: The present study aimed to examine and compare the potency of Group Metacognitive Therapy on OCD Symptoms among Subclinical OCRD Subjects between experimental and control group. Methods: An analogue experimental design was used in this study. Simple random sampling technique was used for selecting 50 samples, in which 25 samples in experimental group and 25 in control group. The tools used for the study were background variables and Yale-brown Obsessive –Compulsive Scale (Y-Boc). Group Metacognitive Therapy was intervened for 4 weeks, with duration of 30-45 minutes. Findings: Results revealed that Paired‘t’ test value within the experimental group (pretest and posttest) showed statistical significance (t = 9.85) among subclinical OCRD subjects. Paired t test value within the control group (pretest and posttest) showed not quite statistical significance (t = 2.00) among subclinical OCRD subjects. Unpaired t test value (between experimental and control group) showed statistical significance (t = 8.23). Based on posttest OCD symptoms mean scores (Mean=5.24), experimental group showed reduced OCD symptoms compared with control group posttest OCD symptoms mean scores (Mean=7.96).The study findings revealed that administration of group metacognitive therapy were significant in reducing OCD symptoms among subclinical OCRD subjects. This analogue study had statistically proved the significant potency of Group Metacognitive Therapy by curtailing and scaling down the very mild symptoms of OCD.

Towards a definitive symptom structure of obsessive-compulsive disorder: a factor and network analysis of 87 distinct symptoms in 1366 individuals.

The symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are highly heterogeneous and it is unclear what is the optimal way to conceptualize this heterogeneity. This study aimed to establish a comprehensive symptom structure model of OCD across the lifespan using factor and network analytic techniques. A large multinational cohort of well-characterized children, adolescents, and adults diagnosed with OCD (N = 1366) participated in the study. All completed the Dimensional Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale, which contains an expanded checklist of 87 distinct OCD symptoms. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis were used to outline empirically supported symptom dimensions, and interconnections among the resulting dimensions were established using network analysis. Associations between dimensions and sociodemographic and clinical variables were explored using structural equation modeling (SEM). Thirteen first-order symptom dimensions emerged that could be parsimoniously reduced to eight broad dimensions, which were valid across the lifespan: Disturbing Thoughts, Incompleteness, Contamination, Hoarding, Transformation, Body Focus, Superstition, and Loss/Separation. A general OCD factor could be included in the final factor model without a significant decline in model fit according to most fit indices. Network analysis showed that Incompleteness and Disturbing Thoughts were most central (i.e. had most unique interconnections with other dimensions). SEM showed that the eight broad dimensions were differentially related to sociodemographic and clinical variables. Future research will need to establish if this expanded hierarchical and multidimensional model can help improve our understanding of the etiology, neurobiology and treatment of OCD.

Multifaceted impulsivity in obsessive-compulsive disorder with hoarding symptoms

Objective Hoarding is common in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and OCD with hoarding may have poorer prognostic features than OCD without hoarding. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between multifaceted impulsivity and hoarding symptoms in individuals with OCD. This relationship is important to be able to understand the psychopathological mechanisms of hoarding symptoms in OCD patients. Methods The study included 136 individuals with OCD classified as OCD with high hoarding symptoms (OCDwHH, n = 41) and OCD with low/none hoarding symptoms (OCDwLH, n = 95), together with 94 healthy control subjects. All the participants completed the Hoarding Rating Scale-Interview, Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11, Yale-Brown Obsessions and Compulsions Scale, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, and Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale. Results The OCDwHH group had more severe anxiety (p = 0.016) and attentional impulsivity (p = 0.002) than OCDwLH. Attentional impulsivity scores were positively correlated with hoarding symptom scores (p < 0.001). Both attentional and motor impulsivity scores were positively correlated with anxiety levels (p = 0.037, p = 0.045, respectively). In partial correlation analysis, motor impulsivity was positively correlated with the severity of hoarding symptoms controlling for anxiety severity (p = 0.045). In hierarchical linear regression analysis, only attentional impulsivity predicted the severity of hoarding symptoms independently of anxiety, severity of obsessive-compulsive symptoms and motor impulsivity (β = 0.268, Adjusted R 2 = 0.114, p = 0.006). Conclusion Attentional impulsivity is associated with hoarding symptoms in OCD. Future studies that reveal this relationship may contribute to treatment modalities for the OCD patients with hoarding symptoms.

The Psychosocial Factors of Elementary School-Aged Children’s Compulsive Internet Use As Reported by Children and Parents

Children’s electronic media use in the form of Internet has increased over the past decades. The activities that children engage using the Internet can lead to experiencing positive as well as negative outcomes. Recent studies have found that excessive time devoted to the Internet use and behavioral narrowing can lead to Internet addiction (Enagandula et al., 2018) or compulsive Internet use (Meerkerk et al., 2009). This phenomenon can be described as a greater risk of developing excessive online habits, which may result in impairments of individual’s activities of daily living as well as relationships with others. Specific characteristics of these associations, however, have been examined only minimally in young children. The goal of this study was to examine the peculiarities of elementary school-aged children’s Internet use in relation to sociodemographic and relationships with others, as well as possible behavioral and emotional difficulties. The sample consisted of 304 parent-child dyads. All children in the study were second or third grade students (mean age 8.47 years, SD = 0.56), 50.3% were boys. Children and parents completed the Compulsive Internet Use Scale (CIUS; Meerkerk et al., 2009) and provided information about time spent on the Internet. Parents provided sociodemographic information and completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ; Goodman, 1997), and children answered questions about their relationships with their parents and peers. The results of the study revealed significant gender differences in compulsivity of the Internet use, i.e. the estimates of boys CIUS – both provided by children and their parents – were significantly higher than girls. In overall, there was good agreement between parental and children’s reports on child’s CIUS, however parents reported higher CIUS scores and longer Internet use than children themselves. Regression analysis revealed that children’s CIUS is predicted (a) from the child’s perspective – by longer Internet time together with lower scores of child prosocial behavior, male gender, less advantaged financial situation in the family, and poorer parent-child relationships; (b) from the parent’s perspective – by longer Internet time, male gender, lower scores of child prosocial behavior, higher scores of behavioral and emotional difficulties together with less advantaged financial family status. The findings of the study are discussed in light of evidence-based practice and research.