Specific contamination symptoms are associated with experiencing a limited response of cognitive-behavioral therapy in pediatric patients with OCD

Abstract A recent study identified three distinct OCD treatment-response trajectories during and after treatment in a large pediatric sample, where higher levels of contamination symptoms predicted a limited response to cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). This study is an extension of this, examining what characterizes limited responders to CBT regarding contamination symptoms from baseline to 3-year follow-up. The study sample comprised 269 patients with OCD, aged 7–17 years. All participants received stepped-care treatment with manualized CBT. Differences in single item-reporting between the three groups was examined using linear mixed-effect modeling. Limited responders were characterized by a higher symptom load across all OCD symptom categories at 3-year follow-up, dominated by contamination symptoms. In the limited responder group, five contamination items showed persistence from baseline to 3-year follow-up. The results indicate that specific contamination symptoms may play an important role for a certain group of young patients with OCD and their response to CBT.