Further Psychometric Evaluation of the Child Disgust Scale

This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Child Disgust Scale (CDS) among 457 youth (ages 8-17, M = 14.77 ± 1.98 years) initiating residential treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder and anxiety disorders. Confirmatory factor analysis supported a bifactor model with two distinct factors of Disgust Avoidance and Disgust Affect, in addition to an overall General Disgust factor. Strong internal consistency was observed for the CDS total and factor scores. In addition, CDS scores demonstrated generally modest and positive correlations with child-reported obsessive-compulsive and anxiety symptoms, weaker correlations with parent-reported anxiety and child-rated impairment, and non-significant correlations with parent-rated impairment. Findings suggest that the CDS displays strong psychometric properties and is developmentally appropriate for use in pediatric clinical populations with obsessive-compulsive and anxiety disorders.

Symptom correspondence between clinicians and patients on the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale

The present study examined concordance between the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) and its self-report version (Y-BOCS-SR), as well as theoretically derived moderators. Sixty-seven adults (ages 18-67) with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) were administered the Y-BOCS prior to completing self-report measures. The Y-BOCS-SR generated lower scores relative to the clinician-administered Y-BOCS (5.3 points lower). Strong correspondence was shown between the Y-BOCS and Y-BOCS-SR; however, many items exhibited fair to moderate agreement, particularly the resistance and control against obsessions/compulsions items. Depression significantly moderated correspondence such that Y-BOCS-SR scores significantly predicted Y-BOCS scores in the presence of low and average depression levels in our sample, but not for patients with high levels of depression relative to the rest of our sample; gender, generalized anxiety and obsessionality did not significantly impact agreement. Synthesizing the present data, the Y-BOCS-SR demonstrates modest agreement with the Y-BOCS and may underestimate clinical severity especially for those with high levels of depression.

Common Factors in Pediatric Psychiatry: A Review of Essential and Adjunctive Mechanisms of Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this article is to review the literature on hypothesized behavioral correlates of pharmacotherapy treatment response. A particular focus is placed on what have been referred to as "common factors" across mental health treatments, including medication adherence, therapeutic alliance, motivation for behavior change, and expectancies for positive treatment outcomes. These understudied factors may provide unique explanations for mechanisms of symptom change, patient risk as a result of protocol deviation, and attenuated treatment outcomes.

METHOD

A literature search was conducted to evaluate the relationship between treatment processes in pediatric psychiatry and medication adherence, therapeutic alliance, motivation for behavior change, and expectancies for positive treatment outcomes.

RESULTS

Substantial variability and room for improvement was identified for each common factor. Behavioral protocols have already been developed to address many aspects of common factors in pediatric psychiatric treatment, but are not yet a part of many practice parameters.

CONCLUSION

Interventions to improve common factors can be used immediately in tandem with psychopharmacological interventions to provide increased symptom relief and reduce patient risk. Furthermore, incorporating instruction in common factors interventions can positively affect training of future providers and enhance understanding of the mechanisms of effect of medications. An increased focus on common factors, with a particular emphasis on quantifying the magnitude and mechanisms of their effects on psychopharmacological interventions stand to benefit child patients, their families, treatment providers, training facilities, and pharmaceutical manufacturers.

Orthorexia Nervosa: An Examination of the Prevalence, Correlates, and Associated Impairment in a University Sample

Orthorexia nervosa is characterized by an obsession with eating “pure” or “healthy” foods. Despite emergent interest, few studies have been published about orthorexia to date. This study examined the phenomenology, correlates, and associated impairment of orthorexia in 404 undergraduate students. A battery of self-report questionnaires assessed orthorexia symptoms, related functional impairment, disordered eating, perfectionism, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, appearance anxiety, fear of negative evaluation, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. In total, 35.4% of participants endorsed elevated orthorexia symptoms, with primary concerns related to guilt associated with dietary transgressions and experiencing control when eating in a desired manner. Orthorexia symptoms demonstrated small to medium correlations with associated impairment variables, perfectionism, disordered eating, appearance anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Mean differences were observed across all variables (except depressive symptoms) between individuals elevated and not elevated on orthorexia symptoms. Collectively, this study suggests a relatively high frequency of orthorexia symptoms using current methods (which have significant limitations) and demonstrate fairly modest associations with psychological symptomology.

Correlates of Length of Stay and Boarding in Florida Emergency Departments for Patients With Psychiatric Diagnoses

OBJECTIVE

Length of stay (LOS) and boarding in the emergency department (ED) for psychiatric patients have been the subject of concern, given the problems with crowding and excessive wait times in EDs. This investigation examined correlates of LOS and boarding in Florida EDs for patients presenting with psychiatric complaints from 2010 to 2013.

METHODS

Utilizing the Florida ED discharge database, the authors examined the association of LOS and boarding with hospital and encounter factors for adult patients presenting with a primary psychiatric diagnosis (N=597,541).

RESULTS

The mean LOS was 7.77 hours. Anxiety disorders were the most frequent psychiatric complaint and were associated with the lowest mean LOS compared with other diagnoses (p<.05). Patient encounters resulting in a presentation of intentional self-harm and suicidality or schizophrenia were associated with significantly longer stays compared with other psychiatric diagnoses. Commercial insurance was associated with the shortest average LOS. African Americans, Hispanics, and patients age 45 and older were associated with a longer average LOS. Smaller hospital size, for-profit ownership, and rural designation were associated with a shorter average LOS. Teaching status was not associated with LOS. Furthermore, 73% of encounters resulting in transfers qualified as episodes of boarding (a stay of more than six or more hours in the ED).

CONCLUSIONS

Extended LOS was endemic for psychiatric patients in Florida EDs.

Defining treatment response in trichotillomania: a signal detection analysis

The Massachusetts General Hospital Hairpulling Scale (MGH-HPS) and the NIMH Trichotillomania Severity Scale (NIMH-TSS) are two widely used measures of trichotillomania severity. Despite their popular use, currently no empirically-supported guidelines exist to determine the degrees of change on these scales that best indicate treatment response. Determination of such criteria could aid in clinical decision-making by defining clinically significant treatment response/recovery and producing accurate power analyses for use in clinical trials research. Adults with trichotillomania (N=69) participated in a randomized controlled trial of psychotherapy and were assessed before and after treatment. Response status was measured via the Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement Scale, and remission status was measured via the Clinical Global Impressions-Severity Scale. For treatment response, a 45% reduction or 7-point raw score change on the MGH-HPS was the best indicator of clinically significant treatment response, and on the NIMH-TSS, a 30-40% reduction or 6-point raw score difference was most effective cutoff. For disorder remission, a 55-60% reduction or 7-point raw score change on the MGH-HPS was the best predictor, and on the NIMH-TSS, a 65% reduction or 6-point raw score change was the best indicator of disorder remission. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Defining clinical severity in adults with obsessive-compulsive disorder

OBJECTIVE

The Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) is the most commonly used instrument to assess the clinical severity of obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Treatment determinations are often based on Y-BOCS score thresholds. However, these benchmarks are not empirically based, which may result in non-evidence based treatment decisions. Accordingly, the present study sought to derive empirically-based benchmarks for defining obsessive-compulsive symptom severity.

METHOD

Nine hundred fifty-four adult patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), recruited through the Brazilian Research Consortium on Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders, were evaluated by experienced clinicians using a structured clinical interview, the Y-BOCS, and the Clinical Global Impressions-Severity scale (CGI-Severity).

RESULTS

Similar to results in treatment-seeking children with OCD, our findings demonstrated convergence between the Y-BOCS and global OCD severity assessed by the CGI-Severity (Nagelkerke R(2)=.48). Y-BOCS scores of 0-13 corresponded with 'mild symptoms' (CGI-Severity=0-2), 14-25 with 'moderate symptoms' (CGI-Severity=3), 26-34 with 'moderate-severe symptoms' (CGI-Severity=4) and 35-40 with 'severe symptoms' (CGI-Severity=5-6). Neither age nor ethnicity was associated with Y-BOCS scores, but females demonstrated more severe obsessive-compulsive symptoms than males (d=.34). Time spent on obsessions/compulsions, interference, distress, resistance, and control were significantly related to global OCD severity although the symptom resistance item pairing demonstrated a less robust relationship relative to other components of the Y-BOCS.

CONCLUSIONS

These data provide empirically-based benchmarks on the Y-BOCS for defining the clinical severity of treatment seeking adults with OCD, which can be used for normative comparisons in the clinic and for future research.

Defining treatment response and symptom remission for anxiety disorders in pediatric autism spectrum disorders using the Pediatric Anxiety Rating Scale

This study examined optimal guidelines to assess treatment response and remission for anxiety in youth with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) using the Pediatric Anxiety Rating Scale (PARS). Data was collected for 108 children aged 7-16 years with comorbid anxiety and ASD before and after receiving cognitive behavior therapy. Optimal cut-offs on the PARS were assessed using signal detection analyses using receiver operating characteristic methods. Maximum agreement with response criteria was achieved at 15 % reduction in symptoms on the PARS. Maximum agreement with remission criteria was achieved at 40 % reduction in symptoms, or at a score of 10 or below at post-treatment. Results have implications for standardizing criteria used in research trials and clinical practice.

Incidence, clinical correlates and treatment effect of rage in anxious children

Episodic rage represents an important and underappreciated clinical feature in pediatric anxiety. This study examined the incidence and clinical correlates of rage in children with anxiety disorders. Change in rage during treatment for anxiety was also examined. Participants consisted of 107 children diagnosed with an anxiety disorder and their parents. Participants completed structured clinical interviews and questionnaire measures to assess rage, anxiety, functional impairment, family accommodation and caregiver strain, as well as the quality of the child's relationship with family and peers. Rage was a common feature amongst children with anxiety disorders. Rage was associated with a more severe clinical profile, including increased anxiety severity, functional impairment, family accommodation and caregiver strain, as well as poorer relationships with parents, siblings, extended family and peers. Rage was more common in children with separation anxiety, comorbid anxiety, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and behavioral disorders, but not depressive symptoms. Rage predicted higher levels of functional impairment, beyond the effect of anxiety severity. Rage severity reduced over treatment in line with changes in anxiety symptoms. Findings suggest that rage is a marker of greater psychopathology in anxious youth. Standard cognitive behavioral treatment for anxiety appears to reduce rage without adjunctive treatment.

A randomized controlled trial of cognitive-behavioral therapy versus treatment as usual for adolescents with autism spectrum disorders and comorbid anxiety

OBJECTIVE

Examine the efficacy of a personalized, modular cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) protocol among early adolescents with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and co-occurring anxiety relative to treatment as usual (TAU).

METHOD

Thirty-one children (11-16 years) with ASD and clinically significant anxiety were randomly assigned to receive 16 weekly CBT sessions or an equivalent duration of TAU. Participants were assessed by blinded raters at screening, posttreatment, and 1-month follow-up.

RESULTS

Youth randomized to CBT demonstrated superior improvement across primary outcomes relative to those receiving TAU. Eleven of 16 adolescents randomized to CBT were treatment responders, versus 4 of 15 in the TAU condition. Gains were maintained at 1-month follow-up for CBT responders.

CONCLUSIONS

These data extend findings of the promising effects of CBT in anxious youth with ASD to early adolescents.

A baseline controlled examination of a 5-day intensive treatment for pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder

This study extends support for a 5-day intensive exposure and response prevention (ERP) treatment protocol for pediatric obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Twenty-two children with OCD received ERP treatment twice daily for 5 days. The treatment also emphasized teaching children and parents how to conduct ERP independently after they returned home. Symptoms were assessed at four time-points: Baseline, 4 weeks later at pre-treatment, one week after the intensive treatment 5-day treatment, and at 3 month follow-up. Changes on the primary outcome measure, clinician severity ratings on the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule for Children, and secondary measures, indicated that OCD symptoms remained stable from the evaluation to baseline and improved significantly from baseline to follow-up. Moreover, parental accommodation of OCD decreased significantly from baseline to post-treatment and from post-treatment to follow-up. These data suggest that the 5-day intervention demonstrates efficacy in reducing OCD symptoms and may initiate change in parent accommodation that continues to improve after the family returns home.

Phenomenology and correlates of insight in pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is marked by the presence of obsessions and/or compulsions that cause significant interference in an individual's life. Insight regarding symptoms in youth with OCD may affect accurate assessment, acceptance and motivation for treatment, tolerance of negative valence states (i.e., fear) and treatment outcome, so assessment of this construct and associated clinical characteristics is important. Accordingly, the current study sought to expand the literature on symptom insight by examining multi-informant ratings of insight from children, parents, and clinicians simultaneously and its relationship to varied clinical characteristics. One-hundred and ten treatment-seeking youth with a primary diagnosis of OCD, aged 6-17, participated in the study along with a parent/guardian. The nature of symptom conviction, fixity of ideas, and perceptions about the cause of the problems were important indicators in assessing child insight and resulted in a comprehensive, psychometrically-sound measure of insight. Insight was generally not strongly associated with clinical characteristics. Poor insight was moderately associated with less resistance of obsessive-compulsive symptoms, increased externalizing symptoms, and ordering symptoms. Overall, this study contributes further information into the nature and correlates of insight in youth with OCD, and provides a psychometrically sound approach for its assessment.

Inter-rater Reliability of the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule for DSM-IV in High-Functioning Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder

The present study examined inter-rater agreement on the Anxiety Disorder Interview Schedule DSM-IV Child and Parent Interview (ADIS-IV-C/P) in high-functioning youth with autism spectrum disorder and if age and ASD diagnosis moderated agreement. Diagnoses established for 70 7 to 16-year-old youth with ASD during a live administration of the ADIS-IV-C/P were compared to diagnoses identified by a second rater after listening to audiotaped recordings of the interviews. Clinician-to-clinician agreement on individual parent and child reports was excellent (k=1.00). Inter-rater agreement on principal diagnoses (k=0.91), individual anxiety diagnoses (k=0.85-0.97), and other comorbid diagnoses (i.e., major depressive disorder, dysthymia, oppositional defiant disorder) (k=0.89-1.00) were excellent; agreement did not differ as a function of ASD diagnosis or age. Results suggest good to excellent inter-rater agreement for disorders assessed by the ADIS-IV-C/P.

Dysregulation in pediatric obsessive compulsive disorder

Although obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and common co-occurring conditions share deficits in self-regulatory abilities, there has been minimal examination of impaired self-regulation (dysregulation) in youth with OCD. This study examined the association of dysregulation with symptom severity, impairment, and treatment outcome in pediatric OCD. Clinicians assessed obsessive-compulsive severity, family accommodation and global severity in 144 youth with OCD. Youth completed self-report severity ratings of anxiety and depressive symptoms. Parents completed the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), and both children and parents completed parallel ratings of obsessive-compulsive impairment. Ninety-seven youth received cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and were re-assessed after treatment. Dysregulation was assessed using the CBCL-Dysregulation Profile. Before treatment, dysregulated youth exhibited greater obsessive-compulsive symptom severity, depressive mood, family accommodation, and impairment than non-dysregulated youth. The magnitude of dysregulation directly predicted child-rated impairment, parent-rated impairment, and family accommodation, beyond obsessive-compulsive severity. The magnitude of pretreatment dysregulation predicted treatment discontinuation but not treatment response. Obsessive-compulsive symptom severity and dysregulation level significantly decreased after CBT. Dysregulated youth with OCD presented as more clinically severe than their non-dysregulated counterparts, and may require more individualized interventions to reduce dysregulated behavior to prevent CBT attrition. For treatment completers, CBT was associated with a decrease in dysregulation level.

Double-blind, placebo-controlled, pilot trial of paliperidone augmentation in serotonin reuptake inhibitor-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder

OBJECTIVE

This pilot study explored the efficacy and tolerability of paliperidone augmentation of serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs) in adults with treatment-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

METHOD

Thirty-four patients aged 24-67 years (mean = 43.7 years, SD = 11.4) who met DSM-IV criteria for OCD and remained symptomatic following 2 or more past adequate SRI trials (including their current medication) were enrolled from May 2008 to March 2012. Participants were treated for 8 weeks in a double-blind study with either paliperidone (up to 9 mg/d) or matching placebo in addition to their SRI. Blinded raters conducted outcome assessments. The primary outcome, obsessive-compulsive symptom severity, was assessed using the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (YBOCS). Secondary outcomes included the Clinical Global Impressions-Severity of Illness and -Improvement scales.

RESULTS

Paliperidone administration resulted in significant baseline-to-posttreatment reductions in obsessive-compulsive symptoms as measured by the YBOCS (P < .01, d = 0.66), although placebo administration also resulted in medium-sized, trend-level significant YBOCS changes (P = .05, d = 0.53). In exploratory analyses examining between-group differences, tests for paliperidone superiority relative to placebo were not significant (P = .14, d = 0.34); however, a numerical trend toward significant between-group differences was found, with a reduction of 7.98 points on the YBOCS for the paliperidone group compared to a reduction of 4.02 points for the placebo group. Paliperidone was generally well tolerated and not associated with significant weight gain (mean [SD] weight: paliperidone, pretreatment 84.70 [27.08] kg, posttreatment 84.84 [18.99] kg; vs placebo, pretreatment 77.50 [25.33] kg, posttreatment 77.43 [19.90] kg; P = .21).

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that paliperidone augmentation is well tolerated and has potential efficacy in the short-term treatment of some patients with SRI-resistant OCD. Well-powered, randomized, controlled studies are necessary to more definitively address the efficacy of this treatment strategy.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00632229.

Psychometric properties of the obsessive compulsive inventory: child version in children and adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorder

The psychometric properties of the Obsessive Compulsive Inventory-Child Version (OCI-CV) were examined in ninety-six youth with a primary/co-primary diagnosis of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). A confirmatory factor analysis revealed an acceptable model of fit with factors consisting of doubting/checking, obsessing, hoarding, washing, ordering, and neutralizing. The internal consistency of the OCI-CV total score was good, while internal consistency for subscale scores ranged from poor to good. The OCI-CV was modestly correlated with obsessive-compulsive symptom severity on the Children's Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (CY-BOCS) Severity Scale, as well as with clinician-reported OCD severity. All OCI-CV subscales significantly correlated with the corresponding CY-BOCS Symptom Checklist dimension. The OCI-CV significantly correlated with child-reported depressive symptoms and OCD-related functional impairment, but was not significantly correlated with parent-reported irritability or clinician-reported overall functioning. Taken together, these data suggest the psychometric properties of the OCI-CV are adequate for assessing obsessive-compulsive symptom presence among youth with OCD.

The effect of cognitive-behavioral therapy versus treatment as usual for anxiety in children with autism spectrum disorders: a randomized, controlled trial

OBJECTIVE

To examine the efficacy of a modular cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) protocol relative to treatment as usual (TAU) among children with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and clinically significant anxiety.

METHOD

A total of 45 children (7-11 years of age) with high-functioning ASD and clinically significant anxiety were randomized to receive 16 sessions of weekly CBT or TAU for an equivalent duration. After screening, assessments were conducted at baseline, post-treatment, and 3-month follow-up. Raters were blind to treatment condition.

RESULTS

Youth receiving CBT showed substantial improvement relative to TAU on primary anxiety outcomes. Of 24 children randomized to the CBT arm, 18 (75%) were treatment responders, versus only 3 of 21 children (14%) in the TAU arm. Gains were generally maintained at 3-month follow-up for CBT responders.

CONCLUSIONS

Relative to usual care, CBT adapted for anxious youth with high-functioning ASD demonstrates large effects in reducing anxiety symptoms. This study contributes to the growing literature supporting adapted CBT approaches for treating anxiety in youth with ASD.

Agreement between therapists, parents, patients, and independent evaluators on clinical improvement in pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder

OBJECTIVE

Independent evaluators (IE) are used widely in clinical trials to make unbiased determinations of treatment response. By virtue of being kept blind to treatment condition, however, IEs are also kept unaware of many pertinent clinical details that are relevant for decisions about clinical improvement. In this study, agreement among raters (children, parents, therapists, and IEs) about treatment response over the course of a 14-week clinical trial for pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) was examined in order to determine the utility of nonblind clinician and patient ratings of treatment response.

METHOD

Participants were 71 youth (mean age = 12.2 years; 63.4% female) with a primary diagnosis of OCD and their parents participating in a psychotherapy trial. IEs provided response ratings (Clinician's Global Impressions-Improvement Scale; CGI-I) at Weeks 4, 8, and 14, and therapists, children, and parents completed independent CGI-I ratings at Weeks 2, 4, 8, and 14.

RESULTS

Nonlinear mixed models revealed differences in rating parties, with therapists and IEs slower to rate treatment improvement compared with children and parents, and growth curve models suggested that therapists and IEs produced generally consistent ratings. In addition, no evidence was found for an Evaluator × Treatment interaction, indicating that raters displayed these differences consistently across both active and placebo conditions.

CONCLUSIONS

Youth and parents may be able to provide accurate ratings of global improvement; nonblinded treating clinicians (with training in research-oriented assessment) can offer global improvement ratings commensurate with blinded IEs. Findings suggest that alternatives (or additions) to the blinded-IE model may be appropriate for assessing global improvement, especially with the growing emphasis on dissemination and effectiveness trials.

Multiple informant agreement on the anxiety disorders interview schedule in youth with autism spectrum disorders

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to examine child, parent, and clinician's consensus agreement on the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule, Child and Parent versions (ADIS-C/P) in a sample of children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASD).

METHOD

Youth with ASD (n=85; age range=7-17 years) and their parents were each administered the ADIS-C/P by a trained clinician. Consensus diagnoses were determined in a clinical conference using best estimate procedures that incorporated all available information.

RESULTS

Children and youth with ASD diagnoses generally showed poor diagnostic agreement with parents and clinical consensus, whereas parents showed good-to-excellent diagnostic agreement with clinical consensus diagnoses. Diagnostic agreement between parents and consensus was moderated by the specific ASD diagnosis. Otherwise, the pattern of relationships did not systematically differ as a function of age or externalizing comorbidity.

CONCLUSIONS

These data suggest that parent and youth agreement regarding the presence of clinical levels of anxiety is markedly poor among youth with ASD. Additionally, clinicians are likely to base their diagnostic impressions on parent report, placing minimal emphasis on child report.