Early Compliance and Other Factors Predicting Outcome of Exposure for Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder

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Abstract
Background: Identifying predictors of treatment outcome can suggest ways to improve treatment delivery and understanding of its mechanism of action.Method: Predictors of treatment outcome were sought among 46 out-patients with obsessive–compulsive disorder who completed a nine-week randomised controlled trial of two forms of exposure therapy with ritual prevention.Results: In both exposure conditions the best predictor of good outcome at the end of treatment (week 9) and of follow-up (week 32) was early compliance in doing exposure homework within a week of starting treatment. A weaker predictor of good outcome at follow-up was within-session reduction in anxiety from weeks 0 to 4.Conclusion: The strongest and most consistent predictor of better outcome to weeks 9 and 32 was compliance with exposure and ritual prevention in the first week of treatment.