Emotional, behavioral, and cognitive factors that differentiate obsessive-compulsive disorder and other anxiety disorders in youth

Marni L. Jacob, Diana Morelen, Cynthia Suveg, Amy M. Brown Jacobsen, Stephen P. Whiteside

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

13 Scopus citations

Abstract

The current study examined specific emotional, behavioral, and cognitive variables that may distinguish obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) from generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), social phobia (SoP), and separation anxiety disorder (SAD) in youth. Youth with OCD (n=26) and other anxiety disorders (ADs; n=31), aged 7-12 years (56.1% males), and their parents participated. The study compared the two anxious groups on levels of emotional, behavioral, and cognitive functioning, as well as impairment associated with the disorder. Results indicated that in comparison to youth with GAD, SoP, or SAD, youth with OCD were found to have poorer emotion regulation skills, as well as greater oppositionality, cognitive problems/inattention, and parent impairment associated with the disorder. The findings suggest that there are unique characteristics of OCD that may differentiate this disorder from other ADs in youth. Potential clinical implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)229-237
Number of pages9
JournalAnxiety, Stress and Coping
Volume25
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 2012

Keywords

  • anxiety disorders
  • categorization
  • children
  • emotion regulation
  • obsessive-compulsive disorder
  • oppositional

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Developmental and Educational Psychology
  • Clinical Psychology
  • Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)
  • Psychiatry and Mental health

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