Rethinking Unacceptable Thoughts: Validation of an Expanded Version of the Dimensional Obsessive-Compulsive Scale.

The Dimensional Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (DOCS) is widely used to measure obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) severity across four broad symptom dimensions (i.e., contamination, responsibility for harm, unacceptable thoughts, symmetry).

Development of the oppression-based traumatic stress inventory: a novel and intersectional approach to measuring traumatic stress.

There is a growing body of literature demonstrating that experiences of oppression (e.g., racism, sexism, heterosexism, poverty) are associated with posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms.

Does change in trauma-related shame predict change in PTSD symptomatology?

Objective: Trauma-related shame (TR-shame) is associated with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms. However, research findings are inconsistent regarding the role of TR-shame in PTSD treatment. The purpose of this study was to examine if change in TR-shame predicted change in PTSD symptoms in treatment.

Symptom severity and presentation in comorbid OCD and PTSD: A clinical replication.

Individuals with comorbid obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) experience more severe OCD symptoms and poorer treatment response. Despite some evidence linking OCD symptom domains to trauma, only one study to date has examined typical OCD and PTSD presentations in individuals with OCD+PTSD, and findings were based on a nonclinical sample. The current study sought to replicate findings in a clinical sample of 1,014 patients diagnosed with OCD ( = 928), PTSD ( = 40), and OCD+PTSD ( = 46) in specialty OCD and anxiety treatment programs.

Call to Action: Recommendations for Justice-Based Treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder With Sexual Orientation and Gender Themes.

Gender and sexual minorities are subjected to minority stress in the form of discrimination and violence that leads to vigilance; identity concealment and discomfort; and internalized homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia. These experiences are related to increased susceptibility to mental health concerns in this population. Historically, the behavioral treatment of sexual orientation (SO) and gender-themed obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) has inadvertently reinforced anti-lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning (LGBTQ+) stigma and contributed to minority stress in clients, treatment providers, and society at large.

Does a unique co-occurring OCD and PTSD factor structure exist?: Examination of overlapping OCD and PTSD symptom clusters.

OCD and PTSD share many commonalities, including phenotypic and functional overlap in symptoms. Specifically, both disorders are characterized by unwanted, intrusive, anxiety/distress-eliciting intrusive thoughts and evoking behaviors intended to control, neutralize, suppress, or outright avoid intrusive thoughts and associated anxiety/distress. Extant factor analytic research supports a model of PTSD at odds with current DSM-5 criteria, and no examination of the factor structure of comorbid OCD+PTSD currently exists despite the noted overlap in symptomatology and high rates of comorbidity.

A New Scrupulosity Scale for the Dimensional Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (DOCS): Validation With Clinical and Nonclinical Samples.

Scrupulous obsessions are a prominent presentation of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Previous conceptualizations of scrupulosity have indicated that it belongs to the unacceptable thoughts dimension, which pertains to sexual, violent, and religious obsessive themes. However, research suggests that scrupulous symptoms may differ from other unacceptable thoughts symptoms, necessitating the need for targeted and thorough assessment.

A review of the inclusion of ethnoracial groups in empirically supported posttraumatic stress disorder treatment research.

Objective: Empirically supported treatments (ESTs) have been criticized for lack of ethnoracial representation, which may limit the generalizability of findings for non-White patients. This study assessed ethnoracial representation in United States-based randomized controlled trials (RCTs) for three evidence-based treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)-Prolonged Exposure (PE), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), and Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR).

Method: Representation was measured by explicit inclusion of people of color in published PTSD RCTs.

The effects of depression on the treatment of OCD in a residential sample.

Studies investigating the impact of depressive symptoms on obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) treatment have yielded mixed findings. The purpose of the study is to extend previous research, which primarily used outpatient samples, to determine whether depression affects OCD treatment outcome among patients receiving intensive residential treatment. OCD patients receiving residential treatment based primarily on exposure and response prevention (ERP) provided data regarding symptoms of depression and OCD at admission and discharge.

Sexual Trauma, Cognitive Appraisals, and Sexual Intrusive Thoughts and Their Subtypes: A Moderated Mediation Analysis.

The relationships between sexual trauma, cognitive appraisals, and subtypes of sexual intrusive thoughts have not been adequately examined in the context of obsessive-compulsive concerns. We employed variations of a moderated mediation model to test these relationships, situating sexual trauma as the predictor, sexual intrusive thoughts as the outcome, cognitive appraisals of these thoughts as the mediator, and subtypes of sexual intrusive thoughts as the moderator of the predictor-mediator link. Based on the continuum perspective, 180 individuals (159 females, 21 males) with or without a history of sexual trauma were recruited to complete measures assessing their most distressing sexual intrusion, cognitive appraisals, and severity of sexual intrusive thoughts.

Change in Event Centrality and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms During Intensive Treatment.

Event centrality, defined as the extent to which a traumatic event becomes a core component of a person's identity (Berntsen & Rubin, 2006), is both a correlate and predictor of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, over and above event severity. These findings suggest that decreasing the perceived centrality of a traumatic event to one's identity might result in decreases in PTSD symptom severity. To date, few studies have examined how centrality is affected by PTSD treatment.

The Mediating Role of Emotion Regulation Difficulties in the Relationship Between Self-Compassion and OCD Severity in a Non-Referred Sample.

Self-compassion involves extending kindness and understanding to one's self. Research has demonstrated inverse relationships between self-compassion and maladaptive constructs associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), including emotion regulation (ER) difficulties. The current study sought to explore associations between self-compassion, ER difficulties, and OCD severity.

Assessing Sexual Orientation Symptoms in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Development and Validation of the Sexual Orientation Obsessions and Reactions Test (SORT).

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) includes many symptom presentations, which creates unique diagnostic challenges. Fears surrounding one's sexual orientation are common within OCD (also called SO-OCD), but SO-OCD is consistently misdiagnosed by physicians and psychologists. To address this issue, we describe the development of a self-report measure for assessing SO-OCD to help distinguish OCD from distress caused by a sexual orientation identity crisis.

A comparative network analysis of eating disorder psychopathology and co-occurring depression and anxiety symptoms before and after treatment.

Background: Network analysis is an emerging approach in the study of psychopathology, yet few applications have been seen in eating disorders (EDs). Furthermore, little research exists regarding changes in network strength after interventions. Therefore the present study examined the network structures of ED and co-occurring depression and anxiety symptoms before and after treatment for EDs.

Affective predictors of the severity and change in eating psychopathology in residential eating disorder treatment: The role of social anxiety.

Despite evidence documenting relationships between eating disorder (ED) psychopathology, depression, and anxiety, little is known regarding how social anxiety is related to ED symptoms in treatment. Therefore this study examined associations between depression, general anxiety, social anxiety, and ED psychopathology at the beginning and end of treatment (EOT) among patients (N = 380) treated in a residential ED program. Participants completed measures of ED psychopathology and affective variables.

Need to screen for clinical levels of OCD? Four questions are the key.

The aim of this study was to investigate a new measure, the Wetterneck-Hart OCD Screener (WHOS), as a self-report screening tool for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The authors examined relationships between the WHOS and severity scores of OCD measures taken via three methods of data collection: online, at OCD consumer conferences, and from an intensive, residential OCD program. Severity measures included the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale-Self Report (Y-BOCS-SR), the Dimensional Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (DOCS), and the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised (OCI-R).

Ethnic Identity and Regional Differences in Mental Health in a National Sample of African American Young Adults.

Prior research has found that a strong positive ethnic identity is a protective factor against anxiety and depression in African Americans. In this study, ethnic identity is examined in a geographically representative sample of African American young adults (n = 242), using the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM) (Phinney in J Adolescent Res 7:156-76, 15). The two-factor structure of the measure (Roberts et al.

Male clinical norms and sex differences on the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI) and Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q).

Objective: Evidence indicates that males account for a significant minority of patients with eating disorders (EDs). However, prior research has been limited by inclusion of small and predominantly non-clinical samples of males. This study aimed to (1) provide male clinical norms for widely used ED measures (Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire [EDE-Q] and Eating Disorder Inventory-3 [EDI-3]) and (2) examine sex differences in overall ED psychopathology.

OCD Taboo Thoughts and Stigmatizing Attitudes in Clinicians.

Individuals who suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder have persistent intrusive thoughts that cause severe distress that impairs daily functioning. These individuals often conceal their intrusive thoughts and delay help-seeking for fear of being stigmatized. Stigma can be problematic when it is present among mental health professionals because they may distance themselves from their clients and have a negative outlook on treatment outcome.

Thought Control Strategies and Symptom Dimensions in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Associations With Treatment Outcome.

Treatment effectiveness of exposure and response prevention for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) might be attenuated in part because of the complex, heterogeneous nature of OCD. Previous studies have indicated relationships between thought control strategies and OCD severity. This study replicates and extends these findings by using a dimensional measure of OCD and examining changes in thought control strategies across treatment.

Residential treatment outcomes for adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Objective: We examined outcomes from a residential treatment program emphasizing exposure and response prevention (ERP) to determine if the typically robust response to this treatment in outpatient settings extends to patients treated in this unique context.

Method: One hundred and seventy-two adolescents with primary Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) completed measures at admission and discharge. Almost all (92.

Assessing Sexually Intrusive Thoughts: Parsing Unacceptable Thoughts on the Dimensional Obsessive-Compulsive Scale.

Sexual obsessions are a common symptom of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), often classified in a broader symptom dimension that includes aggressive and religious obsessions, as well. Indeed, the Dimensional Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (DOCS) Unacceptable Thoughts Scale includes obsessional content relating to sexual, violent, and religious themes associated with rituals that are often covert. However, there is reason to suspect that sexual obsessions differ meaningfully from other types of unacceptable thoughts.

Investigating Treatment Outcomes Across OCD Symptom Dimensions in a Clinical Sample of OCD Patients.

Despite the heterogeneous nature of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), many self-report assessments do not adequately capture the clinical picture presenting within each symptom dimension, particularly unacceptable thoughts (UTs). In addition, obsessions and ordering/arranging compulsions are often underrepresented in samples of treatment outcome studies for OCD. Such methodological discrepancies may obscure research findings comparing treatment outcomes across OCD symptom dimensions.