D-Cycloserine Augmentation of Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Pediatric OCD: Predictors and Moderators of Outcome
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
12-2018
Keywords
D-Cycloserine, pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder, cognitive behavioral therapy, predictors, moderators
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2018.07.042
Abstract
Background: Over half of children receiving cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) do not fully remit. To improve response rates and enhance extinction learning, d-cycloserine (DCS) has been examined as an augmenting agent of CBT. To direct children with OCD towards treatments with the highest likelihood of success, the current study evaluated the conditions under which DCS augmentation works best (i.e., moderators) and the baseline characteristics associated with outcome, irrespective of treatment type (i.e., predictors).
Methods: Data came from a two-site randomized controlled trial (N = 142) in which children received either DCS + CBT (n = 70) or placebo + CBT.
Results: No baseline variables moderated the effects of DCS augmentation on CBT outcome. However, several predictor variables were associated with a decreased likelihood of achieving remission status, including higher family accommodation scores, higher impairment scores, higher depression scores, and higher externalizing scores. Furthermore, better insight at pre-treatment was associated with more improvement longitudinally on a clinician-rated summary measure of illness severity.
Limitations: The current study did not examine all variables that had previously been shown to moderate or predict treatment outcome (e.g., family history of OCD or cognitive profile).
Conclusions: The absence of significant moderators suggests that baseline factors cannot yet be used to determine who benefits most from DCS. To maximize treatment benefits for children presenting with identified predictors of worse treatment outcome, clinicians might need to adapt existing CBT protocols and administer additional interventions that address patients’ specific problem areas.
Was this content written or created while at USF?
Yes
Citation / Publisher Attribution
Journal of Affective Disorders, v. 241, p. 454-460
Scholar Commons Citation
Wilhelm, Sabine; Berman, Noah; Small, Brent J.; Porth, Rachel; Storch, Eric A.; and Geller, Daniel, "D-Cycloserine Augmentation of Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Pediatric OCD: Predictors and Moderators of Outcome" (2018). Aging Studies Faculty Publications. 25.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/gey_facpub/25
