Citation

Jelinek L, Hauschildt M, Hottenrott B, Kellner M, Moritz S. J. Behav. Ther. Exp. Psychiatry 2014; 45(4): 427-434.

Affiliation

University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Martinistrasse 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.jbtep.2014.05.002

PMID

24929782

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Semantic network models suggest that individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) process words with multiple meanings (e.g., "knife") more likely in an OC-related (i.e., "weapon") than in a neutral way (i.e., "cutlery"). Initial evidence was found in an online study. The aim of the current study was to investigate semantic networks in a clinical OCD sample and particularly to identify whether changes in semantic networks following the add-on intervention association splitting (AS) exceeded changes expected through cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) alone.

METHODS: An association task was presented to 36 healthy controls and 70 OCD patients over a period of eight weeks with OCD patients receiving CBT and an add-on intervention (randomized allocation to either AS or a computerized cognitive training). Participants were asked to generate up to five associations to standardized (OC-relevant, negative, neutral) and individual cue words. Associations were rated with regard to OC-relevance and valence.

RESULTS: Analyses revealed that OCD participants produced a) significantly more OC-relevant associations and b) more negative associations than controls for cue words. In the OCD sample, the OC-relevance and valence of associations changed after therapy for personal cue words. This effect was associated with AS at statistical trend level. LIMITATIONS: No clinical control group was recruited; no inter-rater reliability was assessed for the association task.

CONCLUSIONS: Further evidence for biased associative networks in OCD was found. Associations of individually chosen cue words proved to be modifiable by therapy.

Language: en