title: Emotional, behavioral, and cognitive factors that differentiate  obsessive-compulsive disorder and other anxiety disorders in youth.
abstract: Abstract   The current study examined specific emotional, behavioral, and cognitive variables that may distinguish obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) from generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), social phobia (SoP), and separation anxiety disorder (SAD) in youth. Youth with OCD (n=26) and other anxiety disorders (ADs; n=31), aged 7-12 years (56.1% males), and their parents participated. The study compared the two anxious groups on levels of emotional, behavioral, and cognitive functioning, as well as impairment associated with the disorder. Results indicated that in comparison to youth with GAD, SoP, or SAD, youth with OCD were found to have poorer emotion regulation skills, as well as greater oppositionality, cognitive problems/inattention, and parent impairment associated with the disorder. The findings suggest that there are unique characteristics of OCD that may differentiate this disorder from other ADs in youth. Potential clinical implications and directions for future research are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA. mjacob@uga.edu
authors.forename: Marni L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Jacob
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Morelen
authors.forename: Cynthia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Suveg
authors.forename: Amy M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Brown Jacobsen
authors.forename: Stephen P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Whiteside
mesh_terms: D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D001010:Anxiety, Separation / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D003071:Cognition; D056348:Emotional Intelligence; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D010698:Phobic Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011581:Psychological Tests