Anxiety sensitivity as a predictor of outcome in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder

To address the fact that not all individuals who receive cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) exhibit complete symptom reduction, research has examined factors that predict outcome; however, no studies have examined anxiety sensitivity (AS) as a predictor of outcome of CBT for OCD. AS refers to the fear of anxious arousal that results from mistaken beliefs about the dangerousness of anxiety-related body sensations. It is important to understand whether AS influences OCD treatment outcome, considering that (a) some obsessions directly relate to AS, and (b) OCD patients with high AS may be reluctant to engage in anxiety-provoking components of CBT for OCD.

Patients (N = 187) with a primary diagnosis of OCD who received residential CBT for OCD participated in this study, which involved completing a self-report battery at pre- and post-treatment.

Results supported study hypotheses, in that (a) baseline AS positively correlated with baseline OCD severity, and (b) greater baseline AS prospectively predicted higher posttreatment OCD symptom severity even after controlling for pretreatment OCD and depression severity.

The study was limited by its use of an older measure of AS, reliance on self-report measures, and nonstandardized treatment across participants.

Findings highlight the importance of AS in the nature and treatment of OCD. Clinical implications and future directions are discussed.