If normal doubt occurs, will OCD patients differ from non-OCD anxiety patients and healthy controls in how much uncertainty they will experience and will OCD patients respond to this with more perseveration (chekcing behavior) than non-OCD anxiety…
ID
Source
Brief title
Condition
- Anxiety disorders and symptoms
Synonym
Research involving
Sponsors and support
Intervention
Outcome measures
Primary outcome
The main study parameters are level of uncertainty and checking behaviour.
Level of uncertainty will be measured by asking the questions *How certain did
you feel when you reported *target present* in the past trials?* and *How
certain did you feel when you reported *target absent* in the past trials?* (9-
point Likert scale; 1 = not at all, 9 = very much). Checking behavior will be
measured by *search time* (average time participants spend searching through a
display) and several eye movement measures (using eye tracking).
Secondary outcome
not applicable
Background summary
Patients with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) try to reduce obsessive
uncertainty by *perseverative compulsions*, like checking repetitively. Earlier
studies have found that compulsive perseveration paradoxically enhances
uncertainty. This helps to explain why OCD persists. Here, we will examine
paradoxical effects of perseveration in the development of OCD. Previous
research has shown that OCD patients in general experience more uncertainty.
When a normal, incidental doubt occurs, this will be superimposed on the
increased general uncertainty of OCD patients, and may bring uncertainty to a
level where perseveration is used to obtain certainty. If patients indeed
respond to an extra doubt with perseveration, this specific uncertainty will be
increased, which will reinforce the motivation to persevere, etc.
The proposed study is the first study to investigate whether this increased
general uncertainty reflects a vulnerability that puts some individuals at risk
of trying to reduce uncertainty by perseveration (checking), by studying both
OCD patients and non-OCD, anxiety controls, and comparing both also with
healthy controls (all matched at group level).
Study objective
If normal doubt occurs, will OCD patients differ from non-OCD anxiety patients
and healthy controls in how much uncertainty they will experience and will OCD
patients respond to this with more perseveration (chekcing behavior) than
non-OCD anxiety patients and healthy controls?
Study design
Mixed experimental design, with one within group independent variable
(condition; certain - uncertain) and one between group independent variable
(group; OCD patients - anxiety patients - healthy controls).
Study burden and risks
Participation in this study will not put the participant at risk for any harm
or danger. The burden of this study is very minimal; the participant will only
be asked to fill out some questionnaires and participate in a Visual Search
Task on a computer.
Heidelberglaan 1
Utrecht 3584 CS
NL
Heidelberglaan 1
Utrecht 3584 CS
NL
Listed location countries
Age
Inclusion criteria
There are two patient groups. In the OCD patient group, participants will be included when they have a DSM-IV diagnosis of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. In the anxiety-control group, participants will be included when they have a DSM-IV diagnosis of an anxiety disorder (non-OCD). All patients are allowed to use SSRI drugs, but not benzodiazepines, because these have a negative effect on ones reaction speed. The two patient groups and the healthy controls group will be matched at group level on gender, age and education level.
Exclusion criteria
Individuals with psychotic disorders, drug abuse or non-fluency in Dutch will be excluded. Healthy controls will also be excluded when they have any current psychiatric disorder. As mentioned, patients who use Benzodiazepine drugs will be excluded.
Design
Recruitment
Followed up by the following (possibly more current) registration
No registrations found.
Other (possibly less up-to-date) registrations in this register
No registrations found.
In other registers
| Register | ID |
|---|---|
| CCMO | NL38052.041.11 |