Self-reported executive function and hoarding in adults with obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Jack Samuels1, O Joseph Bienvenu1, Janice Krasnow1
1Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Comprehensive Psychiatry
|December 22, 2017
Summary
Executive dysfunction, specifically in planning and organization, is linked to hoarding in women with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). This finding may inform targeted treatments for this OCD subtype.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- Hoarding behavior may represent a distinct subtype of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
- The relationship between executive dysfunction and hoarding in OCD requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the association between executive functioning and hoarding in adults with OCD.
- To determine if these associations differ between men and women.
Main Methods:
- A sample of 431 adults with DSM-IV OCD was assessed for hoarding and executive functioning using the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Adult Version (BRIEF-A).
- Logistic regression and correlation analyses were used to evaluate the relationship between executive function scores and hoarding, and hoarding severity.
Main Results:
- In men with OCD, hoarding was associated only with difficulties in cognitive shifting.
- In women with OCD, hoarding was linked to deficits in cognitive shifting and metacognition (planning and organization).
- Hoarding severity in women strongly correlated with metacognitive deficits.
Conclusions:
- Self-reported deficits in planning and organization are associated with hoarding in women with OCD, but not in men.
- These findings suggest potential gender-specific etiological pathways and treatment targets for hoarding in OCD.
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