Personalizing the Treatment of Pediatric Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Evidence for Predictors and Moderators of Treatment Outcomes

Abstract Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), delivered alone or with a serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SRI), is efficacious for treating pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), but not all youth respond optimally. Research to understand for whom a given intervention is beneficial can inform efforts to personalize treatment or tailor it to specific youths to enhance outcomes. We review studies that examined potential predictors/moderators of response to CBT, medication, and multimodal treatment for pediatric OCD: demographics, disorder-specific characteristics, general illness characteristics, neuropsychological functioning, biomarkers, family factors, and non-specific therapy factors. Methodological differences across studies make it challenging to synthesize findings and more research with large samples is needed. However, family factors have emerged as relatively consistent and strong predictors of treatment outcomes and there is preliminary support for attention to the presence of tics in treatment selection. There is little evidence for age and other demographic differences in treatment response.
Source: Current Behavioral Neuroscience Reports - Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research