Positive affect and imaginal exposure processes in patients with taboo obsessions

In this study, individuals with taboo OCD symptoms repeatedly approached an idiographic obsession through an imaginal exposure. After accounting for comorbid depression, positive affect was positively and significantly associated with perceived efficacy and exposure engagement; however, positive affect was not associated with habituation or learning. Notably, the relationship between positive affect and the perceived effectiveness of, and ability to engage in, a personalized exposure highlights important areas for future research aiming to improve clinical interventions for OCD. To address the study's primary limitation – one-session exposure – researchers should recruit a larger sample and examine how positive affect influences exposure processes over a full treatment.
Source: Journal of Obsessive Compulsive and Related Disorders - Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research