Experiencing Obsessions and Compulsions in Daily Life
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Obsessions and Compulsions in Daily Life using Experience Sampling
IRAS ID
235230
Contact name
Sharon Morein
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Anglia Ruskin University
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Obsessive Compulsive disorder (OCD) is a relatively common and disabling psychiatric illness, with considerable socio-economic burden. Intrusive thoughts and compulsive repetitive behaviours are the most prominent symptoms. Gauging and monitoring symptom severity, as with other disorders, relies on self-report and clinical interview. Patients fill out questionnaires reflecting on their past experiences, thoughts, feelings and behaviours. However, memory can be unreliable and biased. Symptoms fluctuate over time and situations and occur almost entirely outside the place and time of assessment. Experience sampling offers an alternative approach whereby participants are asked several times a day about their subjective experience as it is happening. This research will use experience sampling to gauge OCD specific symptoms as patients go about their daily lives. Participants will report their current experiences and situation using a specialized app on their smartphones. This study will assess whether symptoms change dynamically across time and different situations. Further, the study will assess whether the experience of symptoms in daily life may be associated in unique and novel ways with clinically assessed and self-report retrospective measures of behaviour and personality. Such findings will better characterize the symptoms experienced by patients with OCD in their daily lives. The study will also investigate whether differences in the experience of symptoms may be linked to the diversity seen in the experience of OCD symptoms across individuals. This may advance not only theorizing but allow for more effective and targeted treatments.
REC name
North West - Greater Manchester East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/NW/0605
Date of REC Opinion
23 Nov 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion