Outcomes and Predictors of Treatment in an Intensive Outpatient Program for Pediatric Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Abstract

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a common and often debilitating mental illness in children and adolescents affecting 1.5 to 4% of the pediatric population, with exposure and response prevention (ERP) being the gold standard for treatment (Torp et al., 2015; Walitza et al., 2011). However, there has been little investigation of the impact of ERP on treatment outcomes in intensive outpatient programs (IOP’s), particularly for children and adolescents. In addition, there is little consensus regarding factors that may predict treatment success. Through analysis of a clinical sample using a one-group treatment-only design, the current study examined key primary treatment outcomes including OCD severity and time spent in treatment, as well as secondary outcomes including depressive symptomology and family accommodation. In addition, this investigation looked at the relationships between individual and family factors on primary indicators of treatment success. The evidence suggests that this IOP is related to significant reductions in OCD severity, depressive symptomology and family accommodation, and statistically significant relationships between higher levels of family accommodation, higher levels of depression, and poorer treatment outcomes were uncovered. Discussion of the implications along with future directions for research conclude this dissertation.