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Refining Associations Between Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Externalizing: The Potential Role of Emotion-Related Impulsivity
Location: East Ballroom
Mentor: Dr. Kiara Timpano
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a debilitating psychiatric disorder marked by distressing intrusive thoughts that are neutralized via rituals or compulsions. Historically, OCD has been considered as part of the internalizing spectrum, but less is understood about how OCD might relate to facets of the externalizing spectrum. Externalizing syndromes are marked by dysregulated behavior that leads to external conflicts and can be characterized by three facets, including callous aggression, general disinhibition, and substance abuse. The current study sought to better understand how OCD is related to these three externalizing facets and explored emotion-related impulsivity – including difficulty constraining how emotion influences behavior and thoughts – as a potential mechanism accounting for the relationship between OCD and externalizing symptoms. A clinical community sample (N=470; M=29.31, SD=9.89) completed a diagnostic interview and a battery of self-report measures. Two key facets of externalizing were significantly and independently associated with OCD symptoms: general disinhibition (β = .26, t = 4.34, p < .001) and substance abuse (β = -0.20, t = -3.63, p < .001). Emotion-related impulsivity explained the association between OCD and General Disinhibition (FTA: β = .13, p = .03). Our results suggest that while OCD may appear to be associated with two facets of externalizing syndromes, emotion-related impulsivity may be an important risk factor accounting for this relationship. Future studies should further examine these relationships, including replicating our results in clinical samples and evaluating emotion-related impulsivity as a potential treatment target for OCD symptoms.
