Cited by 37Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum DisordersMental Health Research TopicsAnxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes

The Centrality of Doubting and Checking in the Network Structure of Obsessive-Compulsive Symptom Dimensions in Youth

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Cervin, Matti, Perrin, Sean, Olsson, Elin, Aspvall, Kristina, Geller, Daniel A., Wilhelm, Sabine, McGuire, Joseph, Lázaro, Luisa +14 more·2020·Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry

Abstract

Objective Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a heterogeneous condition with well-established symptom dimensions across the lifespan. The objective of the present study was to use network analysis to investigate the internal structure of these dimensions in unselected schoolchildren and in children with OCD.Method We estimated the network structure of OCD symptom dimensions in 6,991 schoolchildren and 704 children diagnosed with OCD from 18 sites across 6 countries. All participants completed the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Child Version.Results In both the school-based and clinic-based samples, the OCD dimensions formed an interconnected network with doubting/checking emerging as a highly central node, that is, having strong connections to other symptom dimensions in the network. The centrality of the doubting/checking dimension was consistent across countries, sexes, age groups, clinical status, and tic disorder comorbidity. Network differences were observed for age and sex in the school-based but not the clinic-based samples.Conclusion The centrality of doubting/checking in the network structure of childhood OCD adds to classic and recent conceptualizations of the disorder in which the important role of doubt in disorder severity and maintenance is highlighted. The present results suggest that doubting/checking is a potentially important target for further research into the etiology and treatment of childhood OCD.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.jaac.2019.06.018

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  • Doubt and IU are core features of OCD.

    “Doubt and IU are seen as core features of OCD (Gillett et al., 2018; Cervin et al., 2020).”

    From Intolerance of Uncertainty and Health-Related Anxiety in Youth amid the COVID-19 Pandemic: Understanding and Weathering the Continuing Storm (2022) · cites this paper as Cervin et al., 2020

    The Discussion describes doubt as central to OCD, and the study finds doubting/checking central in youth symptom networks. It mentions uncertainty alongside doubt but does not identify intolerance of uncertainty (IU) as a core feature. The source therefore supports the doubt portion, not the IU portion. (LLM, conf=0.85)

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Research works printed but not linked: 2

  1. [34]Seçer I. Obsesif kompulsif bozukluk ölçeği çocuk formunun Türkçeye uyarlanması: Güvenirlik ve geçerlilik çalışması. Eğitim ve Bilim 2014; 39: 176.
  2. [44]Pallanti S, Barnes J, Pittenger C, Eisen J. Incompleteness and harm avoidance in OCD. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Phenomenology, Pathophysiology, and Treatment New York: Oxford University Press; 2017.

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Authors
Cervin, M., Perrin, S., Olsson, E., Aspvall, K., Geller, D. A., Wilhelm, S., McGuire, J., Lázaro, L., Martínez-González, A. E., Barcaccia, B., Pozza, A., Goodman, W. K., Murphy, T. K., Seçer, İ., Piqueras, J. A., Rodríguez-Jiménez, T., Godoy, A., Rosa-Alcázar, A. I., Rosa-Alcázar, Á., Ruiz-García, B. M., Storch, E. A., & Mataix-Cols, D.
Affiliations
  • Lund University (SE)
  • Karolinska Institutet (SE)
  • Harvard University (US)
  • Johns Hopkins University (US)
  • Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (ES)
  • Sapienza University of Rome (IT)
  • University of Florence (IT)
  • Baylor College of Medicine (US)
  • University of South Florida (US)
  • Atatürk University (TR)
  • Universidad de Málaga (ES)
  • Universidad de Murcia (ES)
Corresponding author
Cervin, Matti
Venue
Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2020-07
Volume
59
Issue
7
Pages
880-889
ISSN
0890-8567 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2966875637
Cited by
37
References
51
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 7
FWCI
6.43
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Hispana (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) (submittedVersion)
  • Florence Research (University of Florence) (submittedVersion)
  • Iris (Roma Tre University) (submittedVersion)
  • Lund University Publications (Lund University) (submittedVersion)
  • RUA, Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Alicante (Universidad de Alicante) (submittedVersion)
  • Use Siena air (University of Siena) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
Funders
  • National Institute of Mental Health (1R01MH093381, 5R01MH093402)
  • National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Mental Health Research Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
Keywords
obsessive-compulsive disorder, childhood OCD, symptom dimensions, network centrality, symptom structure, elementary school students, age and sex differences
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Child, Emotions, Humans, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Severity of Illness Index, Tic Disorders, Comorbidity

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