Cognitive theories of Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder (OCD) have identified six types of beliefs, which have a role as vulnerability and maintaining factors: Inflated sense of responsibility, Threat overestimation, Importance of thoughts, Control of thoughts, Perfectionism and Intolerance for uncertainty. As previous research showed that strong obsessive beliefs are linked to severe OCD symptoms, it could be hypothesized that they act as prognostic factors of negative response after cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). However, poor research investigated this aspect.

The aim of the current study was to examine which obsessive beliefs could predict a worse response after intensive CBT in a group of inpatients with medication-resistant OCD.

Forty inpatients [mean baseline Y-BOCS = 26.70, SD = 7.01] with medication-resistant OCD underwent 5-week intensive CBT including daily and prolonged exposure and response prevention (2.5 hours in the morning, 2.5 hours in the afternoon). All individuals have had inadequate symptom response after prior serotonin-reuptake inhibitor trials. The Y-BOCS, BAI, OBQ-87, and BDI-II were administered at baseline and post-treatment.

Inpatients who endorsed stronger intolerance for uncertainty, measured by higher scores on the OBQ-87 Intolerance for uncertainty scale, showed worse response after CBT, measured by having still higher Y-BOCS scores at post-treatment (β = 0.37, t = 2.48, r2 = 0.14, P < 0.05). No effect of the other beliefs emerged.

Current data demonstrated the role of intolerance for uncertainty as predictor of negative response after intensive CBT for resistant OCD in inpatient setting. Augmentation strategies should be introduced to improve outcomes of inpatients with intolerance for uncertainty.

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.