Sleep-Related Problems in Pediatric Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Intensive Exposure Therapy

Abstract

Limited research has examined sleep-related problems (SRPs) among children and adolescents with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). The present study addresses this gap by investigating preliminary associations between SRPs, demographic factors (gender and age), family variables (family accommodation and parental stress) and clinical factors (medication status, internalising and externalising symptoms, OCD severity, OCD-related impairment), and treatment outcomes in a sample of 103 youth (aged 7 to 17 years; 53% female) with a primary diagnosis of OCD. Clinician, parent, and child measures were used to assess demographic, family, and clinical predictors. SRPs were assessed using an 8-item measure comprising items of the Child Behaviour Checklist, Child Depression Inventory, and Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children as used in previous studies. Results showed that SRPs were highly prevalent among this sample and that more SRPs were associated with younger age, internalising problems, and functional impairment. However, SRPs were not an independent predictor of OCD severity, impairment, or treatment response. Preliminary findings suggest that SRPs among youth with OCD may be more strongly associated with broader internalising symptoms than with OCD itself. Future longitudinal research is warranted to further explore the complexity of SRPs when co-occurring with paediatric OCD. Keywords Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD); sleep related problems (SRPs); cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT); exposure and response prevention (ERP); children and adolescents.

Does Concentrated Exposure Treatment for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Improve Insomnia Symptoms? Results From a Randomized Controlled Trial

“…The nine items are rated on a Likert-scale from 0 (not at all) to 3 (nearly every day), and measures the past 2 weeks. A total score from 0 to 27 is achievable, with higher scores reflecting greater depressive severity; mild (5-9), moderate (10)(11)(12)(13)(14), moderately severe (15)(16)(17)(18)(19) and severe (≥20). The PHQ-9 is found to have good psychometric properties (31).…”

“…Comorbid sleep disturbances in OCD and anxiety disorders are not automatically resolved after treatment, and only moderate changes in sleep symptomatology can be expected (4). Despite clinical experience indicating that patients with OCD frequently report sleep disturbances (12)(13)(14), few studies have investigated whether self-reported insomnia improves after OCD treatment (15). There is therefore a need for more studies that investigate the role of insomnia in OCD treatment outcome among adult samples (7).…”