Chu, Chun Kit;
(2025)
Symptom Subtypes of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Their Association With Psychological Treatment Outcomes.
Doctoral thesis (D.Clin.Psy), UCL (University College London).
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Abstract
This thesis explores the empirically derived subtypes of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and their associated treatment outcomes. The literature review in Chapter 1 draws together research aimed at identifying symptom subtypes of OCD based on symptom profiles and their associated treatment outcome and sociodemographic variables. The results identified core OCD subtypes: Contamination/washing, symmetry/ordering, harming/checking, and hoarding subtypes, and additional symptom dimensions: Sexual/religious, severity/endorsement, combined symptoms, certainty, and contamination/harming dimensions. Gaps in the literature are highlighted, including the lack of studies investigating the empirically identified subtypes on treatment outcome. The empirical paper in Chapter 2 carries forward with some of the recommendations. It aims to identify potential subtypes of OCD based on individual symptoms at presentation to psychological treatment services using latent profile analysis, and to examine whether these subtypes are associated with differential treatment outcomes. Data were drawn from two NHS Talking Therapies for anxiety and depression services (formally known as IAPT). A two-profile solution was identified as the best-fitting, reflecting a low-severity and a high-severity profile. A preliminary Obsessive Compulsive Inventory cut-off of 82 was identified for the high-severity profile. Individuals in the high-severity profile were significantly less likely to recover or improve, and more likely to deteriorate or drop out, compared to the low-severity profile, even after adjusting for covariates. These findings suggest that OCD symptom profiles may cluster more by severity than by specific symptom content. The critical reflection in Chapter 3 explores my reflections as a practitioner and the challenges encountered in the research process.
| Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Qualification: | D.Clin.Psy |
| Title: | Symptom Subtypes of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Their Association With Psychological Treatment Outcomes |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © The Author 2025. Original content in this thesis is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). Any third-party copyright material present remains the property of its respective owner(s) and is licensed under its existing terms. Access may initially be restricted at the author’s request. |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10213168 |
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