Jeffrey Sapyta

Predictors and Moderators of Treatment Outcome in the Pediatric Obsessive Compulsive Treatment Study (POTS I)

OBJECTIVE To identify predictors and moderators of outcome in the first Pediatric OCD Treatment Study (POTS I) among youth (N = 112) randomly assigned to sertraline, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), both sertraline and CBT (COMB), or a pill placebo. METHOD Potential baseline predictors and moderators were identified by literature review. The outcome measure was an adjusted week 12 predicted score for the Childrens Yale Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (CY-BOCS). Main and interactive effects of treatment condition and each candidate predictor or moderator variable were examined using a general linear model on the adjusted predicted week 12 CY-BOCS scores. RESULTS Youth with lower obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) severity, less OCD-related functional impairment, greater insight, fewer comorbid externalizing symptoms, and lower levels of family accommodation showed greater improvement across treatment conditions than their counterparts after acute POTS treatment. Those with a family history of OCD had more than a sixfold decrease in effect size in CBT monotherapy relative to their counterparts in CBT without a family history of OCD. CONCLUSIONS Greater attention is needed to build optimized intervention strategies for more complex youth with OCD. Youth with a family history of OCD are not likely to benefit from CBT unless offered in combination with an SSRI. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION INFORMATION Treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) in Children, http://www.clinicaltrials.gov, NCT00000384.

Cognitive Behavior Therapy Augmentation of Pharmacotherapy in Pediatric Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder The Pediatric OCD Treatment Study II (POTS II) Randomized Controlled Trial

CONTEXT The extant literature on the treatment of pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) indicates that partial response to serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs) is the norm and that augmentation with short-term OCD-specific cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) may provide additional benefit. OBJECTIVE To examine the effects of augmenting SRIs with CBT or a brief form of CBT, instructions in CBT delivered in the context of medication management. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS A 12-week randomized controlled trial conducted at 3 academic medical centers between 2004 and 2009, involving 124 pediatric outpatients between the ages of 7 and 17 years with OCD as a primary diagnosis and a Childrens Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale score of 16 or higher despite an adequate SRI trial. INTERVENTIONS Participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatment strategies that included 7 sessions over 12 weeks: 42 in the medication management only, 42 in the medication management plus instructions in CBT, and 42 in the medication management plus CBT; the last included 14 concurrent CBT sessions. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Whether patients responded positively to treatment by improving their baseline obsessive-compulsive scale score by 30% or more and demonstrating a change in their continuous scores over 12 weeks. RESULTS The medication management plus CBT strategy was superior to the other 2 strategies on all outcome measures. In the primary intention-to-treat analysis, 68.6% (95% CI, 53.9%-83.3%) in the plus CBT group were considered responders, which was significantly better than the 34.0% (95% CI, 18.0%-50.0%) in the plus instructions in CBT group, and 30.0% (95% CI, 14.9%-45.1%) in the medication management only group. The results were similar in pairwise comparisons with the plus CBT strategy being superior to the other 2 strategies (P < .01 for both). The plus instructions in CBT strategy was not statistically superior to medication management only (P = .72). The number needed-to-treat analysis with the plus CBT vs medication management only in order to see 1 additional patient at week 12, on average, was estimated as 3; for the plus CBT vs the plus instructions in CBT strategy, the number needed to treat was also estimated as 3; for the plus instructions in CBT vs medication management only the number needed to treat was estimated as 25. CONCLUSIONS Among patients aged 7 to 17 years with OCD and partial response to SRI use, the addition of CBT to medication management compared with medication management alone resulted in a significantly greater response rate, whereas augmentation of medication management with the addition of instructions in CBT did not. TRIAL REGISTRATION clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00074815.

Youth therapeutic alliance in intensive treatment settings.

Therapeutic alliance (TA), the helping relationship that develops between a client and clinician, has received little attention in child treatment studies until recently, though it is the factor found to be most predictive of clinical outcomes. Furthermore, TA is cited as one of the most important components to effective therapy according to practicing clinicians. This study examines the TA that develops between teacher/counselors and children in 2 settings, a partial hospital/day school and a wilderness camp. An important finding in this study is the lack of relationship between the teacher/counselors view of TA and the youths view. Moreover, this correlation does not improve according to how long the counselors have known or have treated the youth. The implications of this and other findings are discussed.

Cognitive Behavioral Treatment for Young Children With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a distressing and functionally impairing disorder that can emerge as early as age 4. Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) for OCD in youth shows great promise for amelioration of symptoms and associated functional impairment. However, the empirical evidence base for the efficacy of CBT in youth has some significant limitations, particularly as related to treating the very young child with OCD. This report includes a quantitative review of existing child CBT studies to evaluate evidence for the efficacy of CBT for OCD. It identifies gaps in the literature that, when addressed, would enhance the understanding of effective treatment in pediatric OCD. Finally, it presents a proposed research agenda for addressing the unique concerns of the young child with OCD.

Predictors of parental accommodation in pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder: findings from the Pediatric Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Treatment Study (POTS) trial.

OBJECTIVE Few studies have examined predictors of parental accommodation (assessed with the Family Accommodation Scale-Parent Report) among families of children with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). No studies have examined this phenomenon using empirically derived subscales of the Family Accommodation Scale-Parent Report (i.e., Caregiver Involvement, Avoidance of Triggers). METHOD Ninety-six youths (and their families) were included in the present study. Parents were asked to complete the Family Accommodation Scale-Parent Report. Families also completed several additional measurements assessing child- and parent-level variables of interest. Regression analyses were used to examine potential predictors of accommodation. RESULTS Results support prior research suggesting that accommodation is ubiquitous among the families of children with OCD. Analyses revealed that several child-level (i.e., compulsion severity, oppositional behavior, and frequency of washing symptoms) and one parent-level (i.e., symptoms of anxiety) predictors work jointly to provide significant predictive models of parental accommodation. CONCLUSIONS Clinicians and researchers should be aware of the impact of specific child- and parent-level variables on family accommodation in pediatric OCD and in turn their implications for treatment compliance, adherence, and, by extension, outcome. Study limitations warrant replication and extension of these findings; in particular, researchers may seek to obtain a better understanding of how the various facets of parental accommodation may differentially affect treatment.

Family-Based Treatment of Early Childhood Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder The Pediatric Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Treatment Study for Young Children (POTS Jr)—A Randomized Clinical Trial

IMPORTANCE Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) has been established as efficacious for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) among older children and adolescents, yet its effect on young children has not been evaluated sufficiently. OBJECTIVE To examine the relative efficacy of family-based CBT (FB-CBT) involving exposure plus response prevention vs an FB relaxation treatment (FB-RT) control condition for children 5 to 8 years of age. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS A 14-week randomized clinical trial (Pediatric Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Treatment Study for Young Children [POTS Jr]) conducted at 3 academic medical centers between 2006 and 2011, involving 127 pediatric outpatients 5 to 8 years of age who received a primary diagnosis of OCD and a Childrens Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale total score of 16 or higher. INTERVENTIONS Participants were randomly assigned to 14 weeks of (1) FB-CBT, including exposure plus response prevention, or (2) FB-RT. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Responder status defined as an independent evaluator-rated Clinical Global Impression-Improvement scale score of 1 (very much improved) or 2 (much improved) and change in independent evaluator-rated continuous Childrens Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale total score. RESULTS Family-based CBT was superior to FB-RT on both primary outcome measures. The percentages of children who were rated as 1 (very much improved) or 2 (much improved) on the Clinical Global Impression-Improvement scale at 14 weeks were 72% for FB-CBT and 41% for FB-RT. The effect size difference between FB-CBT and FB-RT on the Clinical Global Impression-Improvement scale was 0.31 (95% CI, 0.17-0.45). The number needed to treat (NNT) with FB-CBT vs FB-RT was estimated as 3.2 (95% CI, 2.2-5.8). The effect size difference between FB-CBT and FB-RT on the Childrens Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale at week 14 was 0.84 (95% CI, 0.62-1.06). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE A comprehensive FB-CBT program was superior to a relaxation program with a similar format in reducing OCD symptoms and functional impairment in young children (5-8 years of age) with OCD. TRIAL REGISTRATION clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00533806.

The impact of neuropsychological functioning on treatment outcome in pediatric obsessive–compulsive disorder

Background: Scant research has examined the effect of neuropsychological (NP) functioning on treatment outcome in pediatric obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD). This study sought to address this gap in existing research. Methods: A total of 63 youths were included in this study and asked to complete the Rey‐Osterrieth Complex Figure (ROCF) and specific subtests of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Third Edition (WISC‐III). Results: Analyses suggest that 5 min recall accuracy (raw score) and percent recall from the ROCF, assessed before treatment may be predictors of treatment response among children with OCD. What is more, exploratory post hoc analyses indicated that performance on these ROCF tasks is particularly relevant among youths receiving cognitive‐behavior therapy (CBT) alone. These results may be driven by executive functioning ability. Additional analyses suggest a relationship between age, symptom severity, and NP functioning on select tasks from both the ROCF and WISC‐III. Conclusions: Although alternative explanations exist, these findings suggest that poorer performance on the ROCF and, in turn, poorer response to treatment, particularly among those youths receiving CBT alone, may be due to executive functioning difficulties. Clinicians and researchers should be sensitive to this fact and may warrant modification(s) to existing treatment protocols. Limitations to this study, however, suggest the need for replication and extension of these findings in the future. Depression and Anxiety, 2010.

EVALUATING THE PREDICTIVE VALIDITY OF SUICIDAL INTENT AND MEDICAL LETHALITY IN YOUTH

OBJECTIVES To examine whether suicidal intent and medical lethality of past suicide attempts are predictive of future attempts, the association between intent and lethality, and the consistency of these characteristics across repeated attempts among youth. METHOD Suicide attempts in a 15-year prospective study of 180 formerly psychiatrically hospitalized adolescents (M(age at hospitalization) = 14.83; 51% female; 80% Caucasian) were characterized with the Subjective Intent Rating Scale and Lethality of Attempt Rating Scale. Anderson-Gill recurrent events survival models and generalized estimating equations were used to assess predictive validity. Generalized linear models were used to examine stability of characteristics across attempts. RESULTS Neither intent nor lethality from the most recent attempt predicted future attempts. The highest level of intent and most severe lethality of attempts during the follow-up predicted subsequent attempts, but the degree to which highest intent and most severe lethality contributed to prediction after considering methods of suicide attempts, past number of attempts, or psychiatric diagnoses was mixed. Across successive attempts, there was little consistency in reported characteristics. Intent and lethality were related to each other only for attempts occurring in early adulthood. CONCLUSIONS Highest intent and lethality were better predictors of future attempts than intent and lethality of the most recent attempt. However, these characteristics should be considered as predictors only within the context of other factors. For youth, clinicians should not infer true intent from the lethality of attempts, nor assume that characteristics of future suicide attempts will be similar to those of previous attempts.

Suicide attempts in a longitudinal sample of adolescents followed through adulthood: evidence of escalation

OBJECTIVES This study was designed to examine escalation in repeat suicide attempts from adolescence through adulthood, as predicted by sensitization models (and reflected in increasing intent and lethality with repeat attempts, decreasing amount of time between attempts, and decreasing stress to trigger attempts). METHOD In a prospective study of 180 adolescents followed through adulthood after a psychiatric hospitalization, suicide attempts, and antecedent life events were repeatedly assessed (M = 12.6 assessments, SD = 5.1) over an average of 13 years 6 months (SD = 4 years 5 months). Multivariate logistic, multiple linear, and negative binomial regression models were used to examine patterns over time. RESULTS After age 17-18, the majority of suicide attempts were repeat attempts (i.e., made by individuals with prior suicidal behavior). Intent increased both with increasing age, and with number of prior attempts. Medical lethality increased as a function of age but not recurrent attempts. The time between successive suicide attempts decreased as a function of number of attempts. The amount of precipitating life stress was not related to attempts. CONCLUSIONS Adolescents and young adults show evidence of escalation of recurrent suicidal behavior, with increasing suicidal intent and decreasing time between successive attempts. However, evidence that sensitization processes account for this escalation was inconclusive. Effective prevention programs that reduce the likelihood of individuals attempting suicide for the first time (and entering this cycle of escalation), and relapse prevention interventions that interrupt the cycle of escalating suicidal behavior among individuals who already have made attempts are critically needed. (PsycINFO Database Record

Hepatitis C and depressive symptoms: psychological and social factors matter more than liver injury.

Objective: Given that the hepatitis C virus (HCV) crosses the blood-brain barrier, biological factors are commonly blamed for the high rates of mood disturbance in HCV-infected patients. However, no study assessing the potential contribution of psychosocial factors to depression in HCV has yet been conducted. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of 65 patients was undertaken to identify biological, psychological, and sociological contributions to depression. Biological, psychological, and sociological variables were tested for their association with depressive symptomatology as measured by the BDI-II. Separate analyses were conducted on health-related quality of life (HRQOL), as measured by the SF-36, in order to confirm findings in previous work. Results: Psychosocial variables assessed in the study, such as less social functioning, less religious faith, less ability to work, less salary, personal suicide attempt, worse reaction to diagnosis, and feeling “stressed out” were all associated with higher depression scores and lower HRQOL. Biological variables, including viral load, liver enzyme levels, INR, and stage of liver fibrosis on biopsy, were not associated with higher depression or lower HRQOL. Conclusions: The amount of disease as measured by laboratory abnormalities such as viral load, liver function tests, liver biopsy, and INR do not provide much useful information about a patients depressive symptoms. Instead, these depressive symptoms are more influenced by psychological and social factors. Psychosocial support may therefore be beneficial to HCV patients.