Date of Award
8-1-2022
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Ph.D. in Psychology
First Advisor
Danielle J. Maack
Second Advisor
John N. Young
Third Advisor
Todd A. Smitherman
School
University of Mississippi
Relational Format
dissertation/thesis
Abstract
As a leading cause of disability worldwide, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is associated with considerable costs on individual and economic levels. According to a U.S. national comorbidity survey, approximately 28% of individuals experience obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptoms in their lifetime. As with most psychiatric disorders, sleep disturbances are highly prevalent in individuals with OCD and have been linked to greater severity of OC symptoms and poorer treatment response. Similarly, deficient executive functioning (EF) has been demonstrated in OCD, with research evidencing a connection between EF impairment and OCD course, symptom severity, and treatment response. Sleep difficulties are also implicated in impaired EF, as the primary brain region responsible for EF (i.e., the prefrontal cortex) seems to be particularly vulnerable to inadequate sleep. Given high dropout rates and residual symptoms following OCD treatment, a better understanding of these relations (OCD, EF, and sleep) might contribute to improved treatment success. The current study examined associations among these constructs, hypothesizing that sleep impairment would moderate the relationship between EF performance and OC symptom severity. A nonclinical sample of university undergraduates and community members (N = 91; Mage = 25.87; SD = 12.50; 86.8% White; 68.1% female) completed a series of online self-report measures and computerized cognitive performance tasks. Though, as expected, both sleep and depressive symptoms significantly predicted OC symptom severity, EF performance was not associated with other variables of interest at even the basic correlational level. Extant literature points to enumerable factors (e.g., clinical symptom levels, use of OC-relevant stimuli in EF tasks, comorbid disorders, medication effects, etc.) potentially contributing to the EF-OCD relationship, particularly where sleep is concerned. Perhaps, EF deficits emerge once symptoms have reached clinical severity, which only a small portion of the current sample endorsed. Limited symptom variance, remote data collection, and videoconferencing methodology also likely contributed to null findings. Future research should extend this study to an in-person, laboratory paradigm using clinical samples. As a relatively unstudied area with potential to better understand the experience and course of OCD, continued research is needed to investigate specific emotional and behavioral elements impacting the EF-OCD relationship with co-occurring sleep factors.
Recommended Citation
Sapp, Brittany S., "Repetitively counting sheep: Sleep as a moderator of executive function performance on obsessive-compulsive symptoms" (2022). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 2400.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd/2400
Concentration/Emphasis
Clinical Psychology