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Obsessive-Compulsive DisorderNCT03416504

Methods for Managing Intrusive Thoughts

A study testing Gradual Exposure (EXP-G) and Variable Exposure (EXP-V) in people with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, run by University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill at 1 site in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

The current study sought to translate laboratory research on learning and memory to better understand the mechanisms and methods for implementing exposure therapy for unwanted obsessional thoughts. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
Conditions the study is for
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
What is being tested?
Gradual Exposure (EXP-G) and Variable Exposure (EXP-V)
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
40 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
22 Sep 2015to 4 Oct 2016
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • At least 18 years old
  • Willing to attend and audiotape all study sessions
  • Fluent in English
  • Presence of one or more obsessional thoughts that cause marked distress
  • If on a psychiatric medication (e.g., SSRI), willing to remain at a fixed dose while participating in the study (and stabilized on medication for 30 days before beginning the intervention).

Who cannot join

  • Previous cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for anxiety
  • Current suicidal ideation
  • Current substance use disorder
  • Current mania or psychosis
  • Currently taking an anxiolytic (e.g., Ativan) or stimulant (e.g., Ritalin) medication
  • Heart, respiratory, or neurological condition
  • Current pregnancy

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site

  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

    Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27599

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: A Translational Study of the Mechanisms of Exposure Therapy for Obsessions: Gradual vs. Variable Exposure Intensity

The current study sought to translate laboratory research on learning and memory to better understand the mechanisms and methods for implementing exposure therapy for unwanted obsessional thoughts. Specifically, we compared the processes and the short- and long-term outcomes of: (a) gradual exposure (EXP-G), emphasizing hierarchical exposure completion, versus (b) variable exposure (EXP-V), emphasizing variability in exposure intensity.

Read the detailed description

Although preliminary research suggests that learning to tolerate varying levels of fear during exposure enhances outcomes for some anxiety-related problems, no previous study has examined this possibility in the context of unwanted obsessions. Adults with a moderately distressing obsessional thought were randomly assigned to four twice-weekly sessions of either: (a) gradual exposure (EXP-G), emphasizing hierarchical exposure completion, or (b) variable exposure (EXP-V), emphasizing variability in exposure intensity.

Being tested
Gradual Exposure (EXP-G), Variable Exposure (EXP-V)
Keywords
OCD
Medical subject headings
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Gradual Exposure (EXP-G)Behavioural

    In EXP-G, exposure proceeded hierarchically from mildly, to moderately, to highly intense stimuli so that exposure intensity gradually built between (but not within) sessions.

  • Variable Exposure (EXP-V)Behavioural

    In EXP-V, exposure stimuli were chosen at random (i.e., pieces of paper with exposure stimuli written on them were pulled randomly from an opaque container) so that mild, moderate, and high intensity exposures could occur in any order during any of the sessions (the participant was not informed which level was coming next). This aimed to maximize (a) uncertainty, (b) variability in exposure intensity, and (c) variability in corresponding physiological arousal.

Study groups in NCT03416504
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Gradual Exposure GroupExperimentalThe gradual exposure group received the Gradual Exposure (EXP-G) Intervention.
Receives: Behavioral: Gradual Exposure (EXP-G)
Variable Exposure GroupExperimentalThe variable exposure group received the Variable Exposure (EXP-V) Intervention.
Receives: Behavioral: Variable Exposure (EXP-V)

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Change from baseline in Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) score at 3-month follow-up (week 14)

    The Y-BOCS is a clinician-administered interview that assesses obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) symptom severity over the past week. This measure will be used to assess change over the course of the intervention at four time-points throughout the study (over approximately 3.5 months total).

    Measured: Baseline (week 0) and 3-month follow-up (week 14)

Secondary outcomes (7)

  1. Change from baseline in Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) score at post-treatment (week 2)

    The Y-BOCS is a clinician-administered interview that assesses obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) symptom severity over the past week. This measure will be used to assess change over the course of the intervention at four time-points throughout the study (over approximately 3.5 months total).

    Measured: Baseline (week 0) and post-treatment (week 2)

  2. Changes from baseline in Dimensional Obsessive-Compulsive Scale-Unacceptable Thoughts (DOCS-UT) at 3-month follow-up (week 14)

    The DOCS-UT is a self-report measure of the clinical severity of the unwanted thoughts (UT) OCD symptom dimension. This measure will be used to assess change over the course of the intervention at four time-points throughout the study (over approximately 3.5 months total).

    Measured: Baseline (week 0) and 3-month follow-up (week 14)

  3. Changes from baseline in Dimensional Obsessive-Compulsive Scale-Unacceptable Thoughts (DOCS-UT) at post-treatment (week 2)

    The DOCS-UT is a self-report measure of the clinical severity of the unwanted thoughts (UT) OCD symptom dimension. This measure will be used to assess change over the course of the intervention at four time-points throughout the study (over approximately 3.5 months total).

    Measured: Baseline (week 0) and post-treatment (week 2)

  4. Changes from baseline in Behavioral Approach Test (BAT) Mean Subjective Units of Distress (SUDS) at 3-month follow-up (week 14)

    The BAT is an in vivo measure of participants' behavioral responses to their target obsession. Participant SUDS were collected for 5 increasingly difficult steps participants completed related to their obsessional thought. This measure will be used to assess change over the course of the intervention at four time-points throughout the study (over approximately 3.5 months total).

    Measured: Baseline (week 0) and 3-month follow-up (week 14)

  5. Changes from baseline in Behavioral Approach Test (BAT) Mean Subjective Units of Distress (SUDS) at post-treatment (week 2)

    The BAT is an in vivo measure of participants' behavioral responses to their target obsession. Participant SUDS were collected for 5 increasingly difficult steps participants completed related to their obsessional thought. This measure will be used to assess change over the course of the intervention at four time-points throughout the study (over approximately 3.5 months total).

    Measured: Baseline (week 0) and post-treatment (week 2)

  6. Changes from baseline in Behavioral Approach Test (BAT) Number of Steps Completed at 3-month follow-up (week 14)

    The BAT is an in vivo measure of participants' responses to their target obsession. The number of steps participants were able to complete without performing a ritual were calculated. This measure will be used to assess change over the course of the intervention at four time-points throughout the study (over approximately 3.5 months total).

    Measured: Baseline (week 0) and 3-month follow-up (week 14)

  7. Changes from baseline in Behavioral Approach Test (BAT) Number of Steps Completed at post-treatment (week 2)

    The BAT is an in vivo measure of participants' responses to their target obsession. The number of steps participants were able to complete without performing a ritual were calculated. This measure will be used to assess change over the course of the intervention at four time-points throughout the study (over approximately 3.5 months total).

    Measured: Baseline (week 0) and post-treatment (week 2)

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted31 Jan 2018
  2. Study start22 Sep 2015
  3. Primary completion4 Oct 2016
  4. Study completion4 Oct 2016

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Model description
Participants were randomly assigned to either gradual or variable exposure
Masking
Single blind
Who is masked
Outcomes assessor
Enrolment
40 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT03416504
Sponsor's protocol ID
14-3310
Other IDs
5101599, 5103050
Status last verified
Jan 2018
First submitted
21 Jan 2018
Last updated
31 Jan 2018
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No

Publications

  • Jacoby RJ, Abramowitz JS, Blakey SM, Reuman L. Is the hierarchy necessary? Gradual versus variable exposure intensity in the treatment of unacceptable obsessional thoughts. J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry. 2019 Sep;64:54-63. doi: 10.1016/j.jbtep.2019.02.008. Epub 2019 Feb 26.

    PubMed 30851653

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Gradual Exposure (EXP-G) and Variable Exposure (EXP-V) in people with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, run by University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 5 inclusion and 7 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 31 Jan 2018. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Change from baseline in Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) score at 3-month follow-up (week 14) (time frame: Baseline (week 0) and 3-month follow-up (week 14)). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT03416504, which also lists 1 linked publication.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 31 Jan 2018; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 26 Oct 2026.

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