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Feasibility of internet-delivered cognitive-behavior therapy for obsessive-compulsive disorder in youth with autism spectrum disorder : A clinical benchmark study

Wickberg, Frida ; Lenhard, Fabian ; Aspvall, Kristina ; Serlachius, Eva LU ; Andrén, Per LU ; Johansson, Fred ; Silverberg-Mörse, Maria and Mataix-Cols, David LU (2022) In Internet Interventions 28.
Abstract

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a treatable condition that often requires specialist care, particularly when comorbid with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, specialist clinics are few and typically located in large medical centers. To increase availability of evidence-based treatment for OCD in individuals with ASD, we adapted an internet-delivered cognitive behavior therapy (ICBT) protocol to suit the needs of these individuals and conducted a feasibility study (N = 22). The primary outcome was the clinician-rated Children's Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (CY-BOCS), administered at pre- and post-treatment as well as 3 months after treatment. ICBT was deemed acceptable and was associated with clinically significant... (More)

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a treatable condition that often requires specialist care, particularly when comorbid with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, specialist clinics are few and typically located in large medical centers. To increase availability of evidence-based treatment for OCD in individuals with ASD, we adapted an internet-delivered cognitive behavior therapy (ICBT) protocol to suit the needs of these individuals and conducted a feasibility study (N = 22). The primary outcome was the clinician-rated Children's Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (CY-BOCS), administered at pre- and post-treatment as well as 3 months after treatment. ICBT was deemed acceptable and was associated with clinically significant improvements in CY-BOCS scores, corresponding to a large within-group effect size (Cohen's d = 1.33). Similarly, significant improvements were observed in most of the secondary parent- and self-rated measures. Approximately 60% of the participants were classed as treatment responders and 50% were in remission from their OCD at the 3-month follow-up. To provide a meaningful benchmark, we also analyzed data from a specialist clinic that regularly treats individuals with comorbid OCD and ASD (N = 52). These analyses indicated that specialized in-person CBT produced significantly larger effects (d = 2.69) while being markedly more resource demanding, compared to ICBT. To conclude, ICBT can be successfully adapted to treat OCD in youth with ASD and may be a viable alternative for those who do not have direct access to highly specialized treatment. Further improvements of the treatment protocol based on participant and therapist feedback are warranted, as is a formal test of its efficacy and cost-effectiveness in a randomized controlled trial.

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author
; ; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Autism, Internet, Obsessive-compulsive disorder, Treatment, Youth
in
Internet Interventions
volume
28
article number
100520
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • scopus:85125659263
  • pmid:35281701
ISSN
2214-7829
DOI
10.1016/j.invent.2022.100520
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
a351ff40-b3ba-47cc-a07a-8b7013800ac9
date added to LUP
2022-04-20 12:09:29
date last changed
2024-07-29 12:51:33
@article{a351ff40-b3ba-47cc-a07a-8b7013800ac9,
  abstract     = {{<p>Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a treatable condition that often requires specialist care, particularly when comorbid with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, specialist clinics are few and typically located in large medical centers. To increase availability of evidence-based treatment for OCD in individuals with ASD, we adapted an internet-delivered cognitive behavior therapy (ICBT) protocol to suit the needs of these individuals and conducted a feasibility study (N = 22). The primary outcome was the clinician-rated Children's Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (CY-BOCS), administered at pre- and post-treatment as well as 3 months after treatment. ICBT was deemed acceptable and was associated with clinically significant improvements in CY-BOCS scores, corresponding to a large within-group effect size (Cohen's d = 1.33). Similarly, significant improvements were observed in most of the secondary parent- and self-rated measures. Approximately 60% of the participants were classed as treatment responders and 50% were in remission from their OCD at the 3-month follow-up. To provide a meaningful benchmark, we also analyzed data from a specialist clinic that regularly treats individuals with comorbid OCD and ASD (N = 52). These analyses indicated that specialized in-person CBT produced significantly larger effects (d = 2.69) while being markedly more resource demanding, compared to ICBT. To conclude, ICBT can be successfully adapted to treat OCD in youth with ASD and may be a viable alternative for those who do not have direct access to highly specialized treatment. Further improvements of the treatment protocol based on participant and therapist feedback are warranted, as is a formal test of its efficacy and cost-effectiveness in a randomized controlled trial.</p>}},
  author       = {{Wickberg, Frida and Lenhard, Fabian and Aspvall, Kristina and Serlachius, Eva and Andrén, Per and Johansson, Fred and Silverberg-Mörse, Maria and Mataix-Cols, David}},
  issn         = {{2214-7829}},
  keywords     = {{Autism; Internet; Obsessive-compulsive disorder; Treatment; Youth}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Internet Interventions}},
  title        = {{Feasibility of internet-delivered cognitive-behavior therapy for obsessive-compulsive disorder in youth with autism spectrum disorder : A clinical benchmark study}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.invent.2022.100520}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.invent.2022.100520}},
  volume       = {{28}},
  year         = {{2022}},
}