The obsessive-compulsive spectrum: A network analysis

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Neuroscience
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), eating disorders (ED), autism spectrum disorders (ASD), and body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) frequently co-occur and share obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptoms.
• These disorders also exhibit similarities in executive functioning, suggesting a potential common etiological basis.
• Investigating shared factors like executive functioning and disorder-specific symptoms is crucial for understanding these conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine disorder-specific symptoms and executive functioning as a potential joint factor in individuals with OCD, BDD, ED, and ASD.
• To compare symptom severity and executive functioning between clinical groups and healthy controls.
• To explore symptom interactions within OC-spectrum disorders using network analysis.

Main Methods:

• Online questionnaires were used to assess OCD, ED, ASD, and BDD related symptoms, alongside executive functioning.
• Participants included individuals with OCD (n=53), BDD (n=95), ED (n=171), ASD (n=73), and healthy controls (n=110).
• Network analysis was employed on the OC-group data to model symptom interactions.

Main Results:

• Healthy controls reported significantly fewer symptoms compared to the clinical groups.
• Network analysis identified attention switching (a facet of executive functioning) and ASD-related social/communication symptoms as central nodes.
• These central nodes suggest that difficulties with cognitive flexibility and social factors play a pivotal role in OC-spectrum disorders.

Conclusions:

• Cognitive flexibility and social factors are identified as central and potentially perpetuating elements in OC-spectrum disorders.
• These findings highlight the importance of addressing cognitive flexibility and social deficits in treatment strategies for OCD, ED, ASD, and BDD.
• The study underscores the interconnectedness of symptoms across these related disorders.