Anxiety sensitivity does not predict treatment outcome or treatment length in obsessive-compulsive disorder and related anxiety disorders

Abstract

The present study aimed to replicate the findings of Blakey, Abramowitz, Reuman, Leonard, and Riemann (2017) that higher anxiety sensitivity (AS) predicted worse treatment outcome in 187 patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), treated with cognitive-behavioral therapy. We also tested whether this finding is observed in other anxiety (related) disorders and if AS would predict treatment length. Assuming that exposure assignments would be more difficult for high AS individuals, we hypothesized that higher AS would predict worse treatment outcome and longer treatment length. Controlling for the presence and severity of pretreatment symptoms, these hypotheses were tested in 110 OCD patients and in 285 patients with mixed anxiety disorders. We failed to replicate the earlier findings. Hierarchical linear regressions revealed that AS did not contribute to the prediction of treatment outcome or treatment length; neither in OCD or in the other disorders. Findings are critically discussed.