title: Dysfunctional belief-based obsessive-compulsive disorder subgroups.
abstract: An attempt was made to identify obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) subgroups based on differences in OCD related beliefs. OCD patients (N=367) were assessed with the Obsessional-Beliefs Questionnaire prior to treatment. Individuals' scores on measures of inflated personal responsibility and the tendency to overestimate threat, perfectionism and intolerance of uncertainty, and over-importance and over-control of thoughts were subjected to cluster analysis. Support for both a simple and complex subgroup model was found (2-subgroup and 5-subgroup taxonomies). A low-beliefs subgroup was identified in both taxonomies. The low-beliefs subgroups reported scores on belief measures equivalent to scores reported for non-OCD comparison groups in earlier studies. Additional analyses were conducted to determine relations between belief-based and symptom subgroups. Significant relationships were found (e.g., Symmetry symptom subgroup membership was associated with membership in the Perfectionism/Certainty beliefs subgroup), although the shared variance was modest. Implications for understanding OCD heterogeneity and for cognitive theory are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, 3333 Green Bay Road, North Chicago, IL 60064, USA. john.calamari@rosalindfranklin.edu
authors.forename: John E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Calamari
authors.forename: Robyn J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.forename: Neil A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Rector
authors.forename: Kate
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Szacun-Shimizu
authors.forename: Bradley C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Riemann
authors.forename: Melissa M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Norberg
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D003469:Culture; D003702:Delusions / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000145:classification / Q000523:psychology*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011594:Psychometrics