Development and Examination of the Five-Factor Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory–Short Form

Relationships between obsessive-compulsive disorder and the big five personality traits: A meta-analysis

Although several studies have examined the relationships between obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and the Big Five personality traits (i.e., neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness), the results have been inconsistent. Therefore, this meta-analysis comprehensively examined the relationships between OCD and these traits. In total, 23 studies (29 independent datasets) with 30,138 participants were analyzed. The pooled effect size was 0.34 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.28, 0.40) for neuroticism, -0.14 (95% CI: -0.18, -0.10) for extraversion, -0.04 (95% CI: -0.09, 0.02) for openness, -0.10 (95% CI: -0.16, -0.04) for agreeableness, and -0.03 (95% CI: -0.11, 0.05) for conscientiousness, indicating that OCD was associated with higher scores for neuroticism and lower scores for extraversion and agreeableness. Meta-regression and subgroup analyses indicated that heterogeneity was mainly due to differences in sample types and OCD measurement instruments. Sensitivity analysis showed that the results of the meta-analysis were robust. Overall, neuroticism was a maladaptive trait, whereas extraversion and agreeableness were adaptive traits for OCD. Although the results could be sample- and instrument-specific, our findings may inform preventions and interventions for OCD symptoms.

Measuring Compulsivity as a Self-Reported Multidimensional Transdiagnostic Construct: Large-Scale (N = 182,000) Validation of the Cambridge-Chicago Compulsivity Trait Scale

Compulsivity has potential transdiagnostic relevance to a range of psychiatric disorders, but it has not been well-characterized and there are few existing measures available for measuring the construct across clinical and nonclinical samples that have been validated at large population scale. We aimed to characterize the multidimensional latent structure of self-reported compulsivity in a population-based sample of British children and adults (N = 182,145) using the Cambridge-Chicago Compulsivity Trait Scale (CHI-T). Exploratory structural equation modeling provided evidence for a correlated two-factor model consisting of (a) Perfectionism and (b) Reward Drive dimensions. Evidence was obtained for discriminant validity in relation to the big five personality dimensions and acceptable test-retest reliability. The CHI-T, here validated at extremely large scale, is suitable for use in studies seeking to understand the correlates and basis of compulsivity in clinical and nonclinical participants. We provide extensive normative data to facilitate interpretation in future studies.

The neuropsychological profile of work addiction

The objective of this study was to examine, for the first time, the neuropsychological aspects of work addiction, with a specific emphasis on the cognitive factors identified by theoretical models. While previous research has highlighted self-reported obsessiveness and impulsiveness in work addiction, this study sought to go beyond self-report measures by employing also neuropsychological reaction time tasks to assess executive functions. A total of 101 participants were categorized into two groups based on their Work Addiction Risk Test scores: a high-risk group (HWA; n = 39) and a low-risk group (LWA; n = 62) for work addiction. Executive functions were assessed using Go/No-Go, Digit Span, Counting Span, N-back, and Card Sorting Tasks. The findings revealed that the HWA group had poorer inhibitory control and achieved lower scores on the more complex working memory task involving updating (2-back). However, they exhibited unaltered cognitive flexibility and outperformed the LWA group on the 1-back task associated with maintenance and storage of information and sustained attention. Higher levels of impulsiveness and compulsiveness were observed in the HWA group, consistent with previous studies. These findings highlight the role of inhibition and working memory in work addiction, potentially contributing to challenges such as inefficient working strategies and impaired social functioning. This study offers valuable insights into the neurocognitive aspects of work addiction, deepening our understanding of this phenomenon.

Examining orthorexia nervosa: Using latent profile analysis to explore potential diagnostic classification and subtypes in a non-clinical sample

Orthorexia nervosa (ON) is a proposed psychological disorder characterized by a pathological preoccupation with healthy eating. The purpose of the current study was to clarify the relationships between ON and related forms of psychopathology. In addition, we sought to explore whether there may be subtypes of ON and if ON is associated with BMI, gender, or social media use. The sample included 333 undergraduate students (72% female, M_age = 20.91) who completed measures of ON, eating disorder (ED) symptoms, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), obsessive compulsive personality disorder (OCPD), and health anxiety. Latent profile analysis detected three distinct groups with high ON scores. The ON/ED combined group (n = 16) was characterized by high levels of psychopathology, particularly in the areas of ON and eating disorder symptoms. In comparison, the ON/ED combined, without weight/shape concerns group (n = 35) had fewer body-related concerns. The ON only group (n = 23) reported minimal ED pathology. Regression analyses revealed those in the ON only group were more likely to be male, while the ON/ED group was associated with higher BMI. Being in the ON/ED combined, without weight/shape concerns was associated with viewing and sharing healthy eating content on social media. Our findings suggest that ON has the most overlap with ED pathology as compared to OCD, OCPD, and health anxiety, and that there may be three subtypes of ON. The first two share significant overlap with ED symptomatology while the third appears relatively distinct, characterized by less disordered eating and fewer positive emotions related to healthy eating. Future research should examine these subtypes more closely to determine whether they are clinically meaningful, potentially requiring different interventions.

Five-Factor Model Personality Disorder Traits, Health Behaviors, Health Perceptions, and Insomnia Symptoms in Older Adults

Personality traits predict physical health outcomes, including health behaviors, disease, and mortality. Maladaptive traits of personality disorders may predict even more variance in physical health indicators. Dimensional models of maladaptive personality traits are replacing categorical models of personality disorder, and the Five-Factor Model of personality disorder (FFMPD) is a useful dimensional model of maladaptive traits. However, there has been little work investigating the criterion validity of the FFMPD. The present study serves as a broad initial overview of the FFMPD scales in the prediction of health behaviors, heath perceptions, and insomnia symptoms across two time points in a representative community sample of older adults (N = 1,060). Findings indicate that the FFMPD scales explain a significant amount of variance in the physical health variables across time. Exploratory analyses indicate that the FFMPD traits have incremental validity over covariates, normal-range personality traits, and personality disorder criteria.

Radically open dialectical behaviour therapy adapted for adolescents: a case series

BACKGROUND

Overcontrol is a transdiagnostic cluster of traits associated with excessive psychological, behavioural and social inhibitory control. It is associated with psychiatric diagnoses of depression, restrictive eating disorders and/or obsessive-compulsive personality disorder. Radically Open Dialectical Behaviour Therapy is a transdiagnostic treatment for maladaptive overcontrol. This case series evaluates an adolescent adaption (RO-A) for a transdiagnostic group of adolescents identified as overcontrolled.

METHODS

Twenty-eight adolescents were consecutively referred for RO-A from two different National and Specialist Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services between June 2017 and February 2020. Baseline self-report measures assessed overcontrol characteristics, relationship and attachment quality and mental health symptoms of depression and eating disorders, which were repeated at discharge.

RESULTS

Adolescents in this case series reported high rates of depression (78.6%), self-harm (64.3%) and eating disorders (78.6%). Most (85.7%) had two or more mental health diagnoses and all had previous mental health treatments before starting RO-A. The mean number of RO-A sessions attended was 18 group-based skills classes and 21 individual sessions over a mean period of 34 weeks. Significant improvements with medium and large effect sizes were reported in cognitive flexibility (d = 1.63), risk aversion (d = 1.17), increased reward processing (d = .79) and reduced suppression of emotional expression (d = .72). Adolescents also reported feeling less socially withdrawn (d = .97), more connected to others (d = 1.03), as well as more confident (d = 1.10) and comfortable (d = .85) in attachment relationships. Symptoms of depression (d = .71), eating disorders (d = 1.06) and rates of self-harm (V = .39) also significantly improved. Exploratory correlation analyses suggest improvements in overcontrol are moderately to strongly correlated with improvements in symptoms of depression and eating disorders.

CONCLUSIONS

This case series provides preliminary data that RO-A may be an effective new treatment for adolescents with overcontrol and moderate to severe mental health disorders like depression and eating disorders. RO-A led to improved management of overcontrol, improved relationship quality and reduced mental health symptoms. Further evaluation is indicated by this case series, particularly for underweight young people with eating disorders. More rigorous testing of the model is required as conclusions are only tentative due to the small sample size and methodological limitations.

Targeting maladaptive overcontrol with radically open dialectical behaviour therapy in a day programme for adolescents with restrictive eating disorders: an uncontrolled case series

BACKGROUND

Radically Open Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (RO-DBT) was developed to target maladaptive overcontrol, a proposed core difficulty of restrictive eating disorders. RO-DBT is now the main group treatment model at the Intensive day Treatment Programme (ITP), Maudsley Hospital. This ITP case series aimed to investigate whether overcontrol is associated with restrictive eating disorder symptoms in adolescents and to evaluate ITP outcomes since RO-DBT skills classes were introduced.

METHOD

Self-report measures of eating disorder symptoms and temperament, personality and social characteristics linked to overcontrol were collected at assessment and discharge from ITP for all consecutive adolescents who attended between February 2015 and January 2019 (N = 131). Weight change, global outcomes and treatment needs post-ITP were also recorded.

RESULTS

Eating disorder symptoms at assessment were significantly correlated with overcontrol factors, including social connectedness (r = -.67), reward responsivity (r = -.54), and cognitive inflexibility (r = .52). Adolescents stayed in ITP on average 13.40 weeks. 70.8% had a Good-Intermediate outcome on Morgan-Russell scale. 4.6% did not respond and were referred to inpatient treatment from ITP. Significant improvements in drive for thinness (d = .33), depressive mood (d = .41), social connectedness (d = .48), and emotional expressiveness (d = .97) were reported at discharge. No changes were observed in perfectionism or negative temperament.

CONCLUSIONS

This study offers preliminary evidence that eating disorder symptoms are associated with overcontrol factors in adolescence and that they can improve with RO-DBT informed day programme treatment. RO-DBT is a promising treatment that offers a new way of conceptualising treatment targets and recovery for adolescent restrictive eating disorders.

The Polish adaptation of the Five-Factor Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory – Short Form (FFOCI-SF): A preliminary study

Background

The Five-Factor Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory – Short Form (FFOCI-SF) is an instrument used to measure obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, which is one of the most widespread personality disorders. The FFOCI-SF is a shorter version of the FFOCI that was developed on the basis of the Five Factor Model of per-sonality treated as a general framework for identifying different traits useful in describing maladaptive person-ality. This paper presents the psychometric parameters of the Polish adaptation of the FFOCI-SF.

Participants and procedure

Our sample consisted of 328 respondents aged 18-75 (61% women) from Poland. The voluntary and anony-mous procedure consisted of completing inventories in a self-reported, paper-and-pencil way. The respondents received the FFOCI-SF, the Personal Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5) and the Big Five Inventory-2 (BFI-2).

Results

The findings suggest that there is acceptable internal consistency for most of the scales and some problems with the differentiation between some scales in factor analysis. Additionally, we present the hierarchical struc-ture of the facets included in the instrument with two factors analogous to the metatraits of personality (Alpha and Beta). The criterion validity of the inventory was established by correlations on the one hand with Big Five traits (BFI-2) and on the other hand with another measure of the obsessive-compulsive personality disorder traits, namely appropriate scales from the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5).

Conclusions

This study confirms that the FFOCI-SF is a valid measure for scientific purposes. In order to use it for diagnostic purposes, further research is suggested on clinical samples. The findings also suggest that the FFOCI-SF can be useful in exploring new solutions in structure of the obsessive-compulsive personality disorder facets.

A Short Measure of the Revised Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory - RSQ17

The need for a research and practical tool, such as a short, reliable, and valid personality assessment test, suggests researchers to create shortened versions of original instruments. Reinforcement sensitivity questionnaire (RSQ) was created in line with some basic premises of revised Reinforcement sensitivity theory, which proposes three motivational and emotional systems: Behavioral inhibition system (BIS), responsible for scanning environment for potential threats, Behavioral activation system (BAS), responsible for aproaching behavior, and the Fight/Flight/Freeze system (FFFS), responsible for behavior in the present threat. RSQ comprises five scales: BIS, BAS, Fight, Flight, and Freeze. The aim of this study was to develop a short version of RSQ, which would be beneficial to both research and practical purposes. Item response theory analyses were used for item selection. The study comprised two samples of participants, whereby Sample 1 (N = 837, 34.6% male, aged 18 - 82, M = 31.63, SD = 13.54) served as the derivation sample, while Sample 2 (818 participants, 43.6% male, 18-75 years, M = 29.65, SD = 12.52) served as validation sample. Factorial validity of the short RSQ was examined on both Sample 1 and Sample 2. Convergent and divergent validity of the short RSQ was examined using RST-PQ, Jackson-5, BIS/BAS scales, and Big Five Inventory. The results point to satisfactory internal consistency, factorial validity, and construct validity of the short RSQ, suggesting that it is an adequate measure for research settings or other contexts which require the use of short personality questionnaires.