Evaluation of cognitive disengagement syndrome in children with obsessive-compulsive disorder: Clinical implications

Abstract

Cognitive disengagement syndrome (CDS) has been found to be associated with internalizing symptoms. Yet, no study thus far has focused on whether there is an association between obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and CDS. The purpose of this study is to examine the symptom frequency and clinical implications of CDS in children with OCD. The study included sixty-one children with OCD and sixty-six typically developing children. Children were evaluated by a semi-constructed diagnosis interview, Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory, Barkley Child Attention Scale, and Stroop test. The frequency of elevated symptoms of CDS, and total time, total error, and total correction scores of the Stroop test were significantly higher in the OCD group compared to the controls. Elevated CDS symptoms were significantly associated with higher OCD symptom prevalence and poorer performance on the Stroop Test. Moreover, poor insight, hoarding symptoms, mental compulsions, and ADHD comorbidity were significantly higher in those with elevated CDS symptoms than in those without CDS in the OCD group. The findings of this study provide clinical implications that CDS symptoms may contribute to deficits in attentional orientation, conceptual flexibility, and cognitive processing speed in OCD.