Decision-making Impairments in OCD: An Integrated Behavioral Economics Model

NCT03420495 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 2017P002668
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 69
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The investigators are examining whether conditions of ambiguity during decision-making may prime intolerance of uncertainty beliefs (i.e., difficulties coping with ambiguity, unpredictability, and the future) and lead to impaired performance when individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are making uncertain decisions compared to non-psychiatric controls.

Conditions

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Keywords

OCD; Intolerance of Uncertainty

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Ambiguity aversion score on the Risk and Ambiguity Task

  In the Risk and Ambiguity Task participants make repeated choices between a certain payoff vs. a gamble. On low ambiguity trials, the likelihood of the gamble is known (i.e., "risky" lottery). On high ambiguity trials, the likelihood of the gamble is unknown (i.e., "ambiguous" lottery). Ambiguity aversion = (number of 50% risky lotteries chosen / total number of 50% risky lotteries) - (# of ambiguous lotteries chosen / total number of ambiguous lotteries).

  Day 1

• Average adjusted pump scores on the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART)

  In the BART participants blow up a series of virtual balloons. With each pump: (a) they earn 5 cents that accumulate in a temporary reserve, but (b) the likelihood of the balloon exploding increases. When this occurs participants lose the money in their temporary reserve. At any time, participants can choose to transfer their earnings to a permanent savings bank (and move to the next balloon). Thus, participants weigh the likelihood of the negative outcome (i.e., the balloon exploding and losing money) with the potential gains (i.e., 5 cents per pump). In the low ambiguity version of the task, the likelihood of the balloon exploding is known. In the high ambiguity version, the likelihood of the balloon exploding is unknown. The average adjusted pump score = average number of pumps on trials in which the balloons did not explode.

  Day 1

Secondary Outcomes (2)

• Money spent on draws to decision (DTD) in the Beads Task

  Day 1

• Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale (IUS-12)

  Day 1

Study Arms (2)

OCD Group

EXPERIMENTAL

Meet Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) criteria for principal OCD. These participants will complete clinician interviews, self-report questionnaires, and receive the Decision-Making Tasks Intervention.

Behavioral: Decision-Making Tasks

Non-psychiatric Control Group

EXPERIMENTAL

No current DSM-5 diagnosis. These participants will also complete clinician interviews, self-report questionnaires, and receive the Decision-Making Tasks Intervention.

Behavioral: Decision-Making Tasks

Interventions

Decision-Making Tasks BEHAVIORAL

All participants will receive a structured diagnostic assessment and complete self-report questionnaires about cognitive factors, decision-making styles, and anxiety/mood symptoms. They then will be guided through three judgment and decision-making (JDM) paradigms (the Risk and Ambiguity Task, the Beads Task, and the Balloon Analogue Risk Task), each of which each has been modified to differ by whether the likelihood of potential adverse outcomes is provided (or whether it remains ambiguous).

Non-psychiatric Control Group; OCD Group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Adults (age 18+)
• Meet DSM-5 criteria for principal OCD (OCD group) or no current DSM-5 diagnosis (NPC group).
• Sufficient fluency of English to understand study procedures and questionnaires
• Ability to provide informed consent.
• Comfortable and capable of using a computer to complete computer-based decision-making tasks.

You may not qualify if:

• Color-blindness (which prevents completion of certain tasks)
• Acute psychosis, bipolar disorder, substance use disorder, or suicidality. All other diagnostic comorbidities will be permitted to foster the accrual of a clinically relevant sample.
• Serious neurological disorder or impairment (e.g., brain damage, blindness), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), intellectual disability, or autism.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Massachusetts General Hospital: lead
• Obsessive Compulsive Foundation: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Massachusetts General Hospital

Boston, Massachusetts, 02114, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Anxiety Disorders; Mental Disorders

Study Officials

• Ryan J Jacoby, Ph.D.

  Massachusetts General Hospital

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NON RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: DIAGNOSTIC
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Ryan Jane Jacoby, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist, OCD and Related Disorders Program

Model Details: The current study has two diagnostic arms (the OCD group and the Non-Psychiatric Control group) all receiving a single interventional protocol.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: January 29, 2018
• First Posted: February 5, 2018
• Study Start: May 3, 2018
• Primary Completion: November 15, 2019
• Study Completion: November 15, 2019
• Last Updated: March 18, 2020

Record last verified: 2020-03

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)