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Duholm CS, Jensen S, Rask CU, Thomsen PH, Ivarsson T, Skarphedinsson G, Torp NC, Weidle B, Nissen JB, Højgaard DRMA. Specific Contamination Symptoms are Associated with Experiencing a Limited Response of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy in Pediatric Patients with OCD. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 2024; 55:1135-1145. [PMID: 36510026 DOI: 10.1007/s10578-022-01480-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
A recent study identified three distinct treatment-response trajectories in pediatric OCD where higher levels of contamination symptoms predicted a limited response to cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). This study extends these findings by examining which specific symptoms characterize limited CBT response from baseline to 3-year follow-up, with an emphasis on contamination symptoms. The study sample comprised 269 pediatric patients with OCD, all receiving stepped-care treatment with manualized CBT. Differences in single item-reporting between the three trajectory groups were examined using linear mixed-effect modeling. Limited responders displayed a higher symptom load across all OCD symptom categories at 3-year follow-up, dominated by contamination symptoms. Five of these (obsessions about dirt and germs, about bodily fluids, about the feeling of contamination and compulsions regarding handwashing and showering) showed persistence from baseline to 3-year follow-up. The results indicate that presence of specific contamination symptoms may influence long-term symptom severity trajectories in young patients with OCD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte Steen Duholm
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Aarhus University Hospital, Psychiatry, Denmark.
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
- Aarhus University Hospital, Psychiatry, Palle Juul-Jensens Boulevard 175, Entrance K, 8200, Aarhus, Denmark.
| | - Sanne Jensen
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Aarhus University Hospital, Psychiatry, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Charlotte Ulrikka Rask
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Aarhus University Hospital, Psychiatry, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Per Hove Thomsen
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Aarhus University Hospital, Psychiatry, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Tord Ivarsson
- Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | | | - Nor Christian Torp
- Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Vestre Viken Hospital, Drammen, Norway
- Akershus University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Bernhard Weidle
- Regional Centre for Child and Youth Mental Health and Child Welfare Central Norway, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Judith Becker Nissen
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Aarhus University Hospital, Psychiatry, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Davíð R M A Højgaard
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Aarhus University Hospital, Psychiatry, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
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Wang J, Becker B, Wang Y, Ming X, Lei Y, Wikgren J. Conceptual-level disgust conditioning in contamination-based obsessive-compulsive disorder. Psychophysiology 2024:e14637. [PMID: 38923525 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14637] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2023] [Revised: 05/13/2024] [Accepted: 06/10/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024]
Abstract
Pavlovian fear conditioning and extinction represent learning mechanisms underlying exposure-based interventions. While increasing evidence indicates a pivotal role of disgust in the development of contamination-based obsessive-compulsive disorder (C-OCD), dysregulations in conditioned disgust acquisition and maintenance, in particular driven by higher-order conceptual processes, have not been examined. Here, we address this gap by exposing individuals with high (HCC, n = 41) or low (LCC, n = 41) contamination concern to a conceptual-level disgust conditioning and extinction paradigm. Conditioned stimuli (CS+) were images from one conceptual category partially reinforced by unconditioned disgust-eliciting stimuli (US), while images from another category served as non-reinforced conditioned stimuli (CS-). Skin conductance responses (SCRs), US expectancy and CS valence ratings served as primary outcomes to quantify conditioned disgust responses. Relative to LCC, HCC individuals exhibited increased US expectancy and CS+ disgust experience, but comparable SCR levels following disgust acquisition. Despite a decrease in conditioned responses from the acquisition phase to the extinction phase, both groups did not fully extinguish the learned disgust. Importantly, the extinction resilience of acquired disgust was more pronounced in HCC individuals. Together, our findings suggest that individuals with high self-reported contamination concern exhibit increased disgust acquisition and resistance to extinction. The findings provide preliminary evidence on how dysregulated disgust learning mechanism across semantically related concepts may contribute to C-OCD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinxia Wang
- Institute for Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Interdisciplinary Brain Research, University of Jyvaskyla, Jyvaskyla, Finland
| | - Benjamin Becker
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Department of Psychology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yizhen Wang
- School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xianchao Ming
- School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yi Lei
- Institute for Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China
| | - Jan Wikgren
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Interdisciplinary Brain Research, University of Jyvaskyla, Jyvaskyla, Finland
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Anti-Disgust Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Contamination-Based Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial. J Clin Med 2022; 11:jcm11102875. [PMID: 35629000 PMCID: PMC9145879 DOI: 10.3390/jcm11102875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2022] [Revised: 05/15/2022] [Accepted: 05/18/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Disgust is a strong and persistent emotion that frequently occurs during exposure-based treatments for contamination-based obsessive compulsive disorder (C-OCD). This study aimed to examine the efficacy of augmenting cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with a novel type of anti-disgust cognitive intervention in reducing the severity of OCD, disgust propensity/sensitivity, and refusal rate of exposure and response prevention, while simultaneously increasing acceptance of disgust. Materials and Methods: Fifty-five individuals with C-OCD (mean age 28.1 years, SD = 3.52; 77% female) were randomly assigned to 15 weekly sessions of anti-disgust plus CBT (AD-CBT) or CBT alone. They were evaluated for outcomes four times (pretreatment, prior to exposure and response prevention (ERP) sessions, posttreatment, and three-month follow-up), and mixed-design ANOVAs were used to analyze the data. Results: The findings indicated that when compared to CBT alone, AD-CBT significantly reduced OCD severity, disgust propensity/sensitivity, and concurrently increased disgust acceptance (p < 0.001). Additionally, engaging in an anti-disgust cognitive intervention was associated with lower ERP refusal rate (4% vs. 16%). The superiority of AD-CBT over CBT persisted through the three-month follow-up period. Conclusions: The current study suggests that supplementing CBT for C-OCD with an anti-disgust cognitive intervention significantly increased acceptance of disgust and decreased the refusal rate of ERP, OCD severity, and disgust-related factors.
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Cervin M, Perrin S. Incompleteness and Disgust Predict Treatment Outcome in Pediatric Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Behav Ther 2021; 52:53-63. [PMID: 33483124 DOI: 10.1016/j.beth.2020.01.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2019] [Revised: 01/06/2020] [Accepted: 01/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Increasing evidence suggests that pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is motivated not only by fear but also by feelings of incompleteness and disgust. However, it is currently unclear whether emotion involvement in OCD symptoms is associated with treatment response in youth with OCD. The present study examined whether treatment outcome for youth with OCD was predicted by the degree to which fear, disgust, and incompleteness were involved in baseline OCD symptoms. Children and adolescents with OCD entering treatment for this condition (N = 111) were administered standardized OCD symptom measures and an interview designed to assess the degree of fear, incompleteness, and disgust experienced during current OCD symptoms. Follow-up assessments occurred on average 13 months after baseline with each participant coded for outcome according to internationally acknowledged change criteria for pediatric OCD. Higher levels of incompleteness and disgust as part of baseline OCD symptoms predicted poorer outcome. The degree of fear during baseline OCD symptoms did not predict outcome. If replicated under controlled conditions, these results suggest that incompleteness and disgust may act as barriers to improvement in pediatric OCD and that treatment modifications that target these emotion-related motivators may improve outcome for a subset of youth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matti Cervin
- Lund University and Skåne Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
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Cervin M, Perrin S, Olsson E, Claesdotter-Knutsson E, Lindvall M. Incompleteness, harm avoidance, and disgust: A comparison of youth with OCD, anxiety disorders, and no psychiatric disorder. J Anxiety Disord 2020; 69:102175. [PMID: 31896022 DOI: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2019.102175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2019] [Revised: 11/12/2019] [Accepted: 12/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Psychological models of pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) place a heavy emphasis on harm avoidance as a maintaining factor and target for treatment. Incompleteness and disgust may also play a role in pediatric OCD but remain understudied. Youth with OCD (n = 100), anxiety disorders (n = 96), and no impairing psychiatric symptoms (n = 25) completed self-report measures of trait-level incompleteness, harm avoidance, and disgust and current symptoms of OCD, anxiety, and depression. Group differences and associations between emotions, symptoms, and pre- to post-treatment change in overall OCD severity were examined. Youth with OCD and anxiety disorders scored higher on harm avoidance and disgust than youth with no psychiatric disorder. Youth with OCD scored higher on incompleteness than youth with anxiety disorders and youth with no psychiatric disorder. Harm avoidance showed unique associations to self-reported symptoms of OCD, anxiety, and depression while incompleteness was uniquely related to OCD and disgust to anxiety. Within the OCD sample, incompleteness and harm avoidance were differentially related to the major OCD symptom dimensions, and change in incompleteness was uniquely related to pre- to post-treatment change in OCD severity. Trait-level incompleteness appears to play a central role in pediatric OCD and studies investigating its direct involvement in symptoms and associations with treatment outcome are needed. The role of disgust in relation to pediatric OCD remains unclear.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matti Cervin
- Lund University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Lund, Sweden; Skåne Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Lund, Sweden.
| | - Sean Perrin
- Lund University, Department of Psychology, Lund, Sweden
| | - Elin Olsson
- Skåne Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Lund, Sweden
| | - Emma Claesdotter-Knutsson
- Lund University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Lund, Sweden; Skåne Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Lund, Sweden
| | - Magnus Lindvall
- Lund University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Lund, Sweden; Skåne Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Lund, Sweden
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Knowles KA, Jessup SC, Olatunji BO. Disgust in Anxiety and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders: Recent Findings and Future Directions. Curr Psychiatry Rep 2018; 20:68. [PMID: 30094516 PMCID: PMC6422162 DOI: 10.1007/s11920-018-0936-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW In the past 20 years, the role of disgust in anxiety disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) has been investigated with increasing precision. In this review, we examine recent evidence implicating disgust in anxiety and OCD, highlighting recent measurement and methodological improvements. Specific emphasis is placed on understanding the mechanisms that may account for the role of disgust in OCD and related disorders. RECENT FINDINGS Recent developments include clarification of the role of distinct disgust-relevant vulnerabilities in the etiology of anxiety and OCD, an improved understanding of the neurobiology of disgust processing in OCD, and an increased focus on disgust-related mechanisms that contribute to psychopathology, such as disgust-based learning and emotion regulation. Disgust proneness is increasingly linked with symptoms of anxiety and OCD. However, further examination of the mechanisms that account for the roles of distinct disgust-relevant vulnerabilities is needed, and studies that directly examine disgust during the course of treatment are limited. Increasingly, the field has moved toward experimental investigation of specific disgust-relevant mechanisms that influence the etiology and treatment of OCD and related anxiety disorders.
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Fontenelle LF, Frydman I, Hoefle S, Oliveira-Souza R, Vigne P, Bortolini TS, Suo C, Yücel M, Mattos P, Moll J. Decoding moral emotions in obsessive-compulsive disorder. Neuroimage Clin 2018; 19:82-89. [PMID: 30035005 PMCID: PMC6051311 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2018.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2017] [Revised: 03/07/2018] [Accepted: 04/01/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Background Patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) exhibit abnormal neural responses when they experience particular emotions or when they evaluate stimuli with emotional value. Whether these brain responses are sufficiently distinctive to discriminate between OCD patients and healthy controls is unknown. The present study is the first to investigate the discriminative power of multivariate pattern analysis of regional fMRI responses to moral and non-moral emotions. Method To accomplish this goal, we performed a searchlight-based multivariate pattern analysis to unveil brain regions that could discriminate 18 OCD patients from 18 matched healthy controls during provoked guilt, disgust, compassion, and anger. We also investigated the existence of distinctive neural patterns while combining those four emotions (herein termed multiemotion analysis). Results We found that different frontostriatal regions discriminated OCD patients from controls based on individual emotional experiences. Most notably, the left nucleus accumbens (NAcc) discriminated OCD patients from controls during both disgust and the multiemotion analysis. Among other regions, the angular gyrus responses to anger and the lingual and the middle temporal gyri in the multi-emotion analysis were highly discriminant between samples. Additional BOLD analyses supported the directionality of these findings. Conclusions In line with previous studies, differential activity in regions beyond the frontostriatal circuitry differentiates OCD from healthy volunteers. The finding that the response of the left NAcc to different basic and moral emotions is highly discriminative for a diagnosis of OCD confirms current pathophysiological models and points to new venues of research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonardo F Fontenelle
- D'Or Institute for Research and Education (IDOR), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Brain & Mental Health Laboratory, Monash Institute of Cognitive and Clinical Neurosciences, Monash University, Victoria, Australia; Obsessive, Compulsive, and Anxiety Spectrum Research Program, Institute of Psychiatry, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
| | - Ilana Frydman
- D'Or Institute for Research and Education (IDOR), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Obsessive, Compulsive, and Anxiety Spectrum Research Program, Institute of Psychiatry, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Sebastian Hoefle
- D'Or Institute for Research and Education (IDOR), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | - Paula Vigne
- D'Or Institute for Research and Education (IDOR), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Obsessive, Compulsive, and Anxiety Spectrum Research Program, Institute of Psychiatry, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Tiago S Bortolini
- D'Or Institute for Research and Education (IDOR), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Chao Suo
- Brain & Mental Health Laboratory, Monash Institute of Cognitive and Clinical Neurosciences, Monash University, Victoria, Australia
| | - Murat Yücel
- Brain & Mental Health Laboratory, Monash Institute of Cognitive and Clinical Neurosciences, Monash University, Victoria, Australia
| | - Paulo Mattos
- D'Or Institute for Research and Education (IDOR), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Jorge Moll
- D'Or Institute for Research and Education (IDOR), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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