Biomedical subjects

L J Summerfeldt

Publications and source records attributed to L J Summerfeldt.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2000

Treatment histories of patients with three anxiety disorders.

The current study sought to examine the extent to which empirically supported psychological and pharmacological treatments were used by individuals with panic disorder (n = 41), social phobia (n = 34), or obsessive compulsive disorder (n = 21). Participants were recruited from an anxiety disorders clinic and completed a questionnaire about previous treatment and contact with a variety of professionals. Results indicated that the types of pharmacological treatment received by patients were more often consistent with findings from the empirical literature than were the psychological treatments received by patients. Cognitive and behavioral treatments had been tried by fewer than half of participants (between 19 and 44% of participants). Results were fairly consistent across the anxiety disorders. Possible explanations for the discrepancy between the types of psychological treatments that have received empirical support and those that are typically provided to patients are provided.

Antidepressive Agents↗

PubMed1999

Symptom structure in obsessive-compulsive disorder: a confirmatory factor-analytic study.

Although obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) has long been a unitary diagnosis, there is much recent interest in its potential heterogeneity, as manifested by symptom subgroups. This study evaluated existing models of symptom structure in a sample of 203 individuals with OCD. Using confirmatory factor analysis, we examined the ability of each model to account for two levels of data: a priori symptom groupings (second-order) and individual symptoms, identified by the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale symptom checklist. Four models were examined: a single-factor, a two-factor (i.e., obsessions and compulsions), and two multidimensional models, comprising three and four factors. Adequate fit was found solely for the four-factor model--specifying obsessions/checking, symmetry/ordering, contamination/cleaning, and hoarding--but only at the second-order level; it did not account for relationships among discrete symptoms. Parameter estimates showed within-factor heterogeneity, as well as overlap between factors, most notably the two representing checking and contamination-related symptoms. The implications of these findings are discussed. Results provide evidence for the multidimensionality of OCD symptoms, but suggest that a comprehensive model has yet to be identified. They also point to the inadequacy of groupings based solely upon overt behavioural similarities (e.g., 'checking'). Recommendations are made for future research.

Adult↗

PubMed1996

The Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire in obsessive-compulsive disorder.

This study examined the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire in 32 patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Scores on the Harm Avoidance (HA) dimension alone were found to distinguish the patient from normal volunteers. The impact of multiple anxiety disorders and of the specific lower-order HA trait of fear of uncertainty was also demonstrated.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Examining the evidence for anxiety-related cognitive biases in obsessive-compulsive disorder.

In light of current concerns about the diagnostic classification of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), this article critically examines recent experimental research on anxiety-related cognitive biases in OCD in order to determine whether it provides grounds for OCD's differentiation from other anxiety disorders. This small body of work is found to be fraught with defects, anomalies, and inconsistencies. These findings contrast dramatically with the robust results obtained with other clinical anxiety disorders. When biases are in evidence it tends to be with a select group of subjects, that is, those with contamination concerns. It is suggested that only this subtype of OCD, or some core characteristic underlying it, may be associated with cognitive tendencies comparable to those found in other anxiety disorders (i.e., biases at the attentional level associated with the emotional tone, or content, of information). Cognitive tendencies in other subtypes likely require different explanatory frameworks. This review provides evidence for the partial uniqueness of OCD from other anxiety disorders.

Anxiety Disorders↗