Investigation of patients with obsessive compulsive disorder according to gray's sensitivity theory

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that avoidance increases as the sensitivity of the Behavioral Inhibition System / Behavioral Activation System (BIS / BAS) increases in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). METHODS: Thirty patients with OCD according to DSM-5 criteria and 30 healthy volunteers were included in the study. The control group was randomly selected among the healthy subjects matched with the patient group in terms of age, gender, marital status, occupation and education level. All participants were filled with Sociodemographic Data Form, Behavioral Inhibition System / Behavioral Activation System (BIS / BAS) scale, Dimensional Obsession Compulsion Scale (DOCS) and Anxiety Sensitivity Index – 3 (ASI-3). The results were evaluated statistically. RESULTS: In our study, when BIS / BAS scores of OCD and control groups were compared, no difference was found in terms of BAS score. The total BIS score was higher in OCD patients. When the BIS / BAS scores were compared in terms of gender, the total BIS score was significantly higher in male patients compared to male controls, but this difference did not reach a significant level in female patients. However, the reason why the difference did not reach a significant level in female patients was that DIS scores were also higher in healthy female subjects. The BAS-impulse score was higher in female patients than in healthy women. The DOCS-avoidance level showed a positive correlation with DIS in female patients and a negative BAS-impulse in male patients. The BAS-Impulse score increased in female patients as the total score of DOCS increased. In both sexes avoidance increased as the total score of DOCS increased. DISCUSSION: In our study, no correlation was found between BIS / BAS Scale scores and total avoidance scores in OCD patients. This result does not confirm our hypothesis that avoidance increases as BIS / BAS sensitivity increases. However, when the data were analyzed over the gender variable, the difference presents a new finding for the literature. While increasing anxiety with BIS in women increases avoidance, in men, the introduction of BAS-impulse seems to reduce avoidance. The fact that BAS-impulse levels are higher in female patients and that BAS-impulse scores increase with increasing DOCS total score suggest that active avoidance and impulsivity related to BAS may be activated as the symptom severity increases. CONCLUSION: It should be kept in mind that impaired cognitive-behavioral processes and coping strategies in OCD may be different in women than in men. Key words: obsessive compulsive disorder, behavioral inhibition system, behavioral activation system, avoidance, gender