Comparison of Neuropsychological Profile and Cognitive Emotion Regulation in Patients with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Generalized Anxiety

Introduction:This study aimed to compare neuropsychological profile and cognitive emotion regulation in patients with obsessive – compulsive disorder and generalized anxiety.

Method: The Study was causal-comparative. The study population included all patients who referred to psychiatric clinics in Shiraz in 2016. 60 patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder were selected based on convenience sampling. Also 30 of those who had no psychiatric diagnosis were selected as normal. Participants of study were matched based on the characteristics such as age, education and gender. Garnefski's Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire and André Rey's Complex Figure Test were used to collect data. Data were analyzed by analysis of Variance and SPSS-20.

Results: Results showed that there is no significant difference between three groups in terms of perceptual constancy؛ however, there was significant- difference between compulsive group and other two groups in terms of visual memory. Comparison of cognitive regulation from positive and negative aspects indicated that there was significant difference between normal groups and the other two groups in terms of positive cognitive regulation but no significant difference was found between three groups in terms of negative emotion regulation.

Conclusion: The results showed that OCD and anxiety disorder can be different situation in terms of neurocognitive functioning and emotion regulation in patients that this issue should be considered in design and implementation of treatment.