Long-term outcome of children and adolescents with obsessive–compulsive disorder: a 7–9-year follow-up of a randomized clinical trial

Pediatric obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) is an impairing disorder frequently associated with long-term persistence. Long-term follow-up studies that investigated psychopathological trajectories after initial treatment are scarce. The present study is a 7–9-year follow-up of a randomized clinical trial (RCT) that tested the efficacy of group cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and sertraline for children with OCD ( n = 40), and aimed to describe long-term outcomes of pediatric OCD and identify predictors of these outcomes. Thirty-five participants who were included in the original study were recruited for follow-up evaluations. Participants underwent a comprehensive assessment of demographic and clinical characteristics comprised of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM Disorders (SCID) and/or Kiddie-Schedule of Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia Present-Lifetime (K-SADS-PL), and the Yale-Brown Obsessive–Compulsive Scale (YBOCS). Thirty-three participants had a complete psychiatric assessment at follow-up (mean age 21 years, SD 3.2; 65% male). At follow-up, 13 (39.4%) participants had an OCD diagnosis, 10 (30.3%) had a diagnosis of any mental disorder (excluding OCD), and 10 (30.3%) did not have any diagnosis of mental disorder. In total, 23 participants (69.7%) had at least one mental disorder (including OCD). Among those without OCD ( n = 20), 60.6% had a mental disorder. The following characteristics at follow-up were associated with OCD diagnosis: YBOCS total score ( p < 0.001), global functioning ( p = 0.008), and presence of any anxiety disorder ( p = 0.027). Being treated with GCBT or sertraline during the original RCT did not predict OCD at follow-up. New treatment strategies should consider the role of psychopathological trajectories using a dynamic approach to combine or change interventions to enhance prognosis.