Uma proposta para estudo de algumas relações funcionais envolvidas nos comportamentos obsessivo-compulsivos a partir da análise de casos únicos

Abstract

Some therapists and researchers have noted that obsessive-compulsive behavior may be under control of environmental variables, explaining rituals as a behavior that postpones conditioned aversive stimuli and produces other consequences that could maintain the behavior. Positive reinforcement (especially social attention) contingent upon obsessive-compulsive behavior, avoidance of aversive situations or lower relative frequency of reinforcement of other behavior, may be the contingencies involved in the maintenance of obsessive-compulsive behavior. The target of the present study was identifying experimentally in single cases which of these contingencies would be possibly a controlling obsessive-compulsive behavior. Method: Three children with a OCD diagnosis (especially washing compulsion) were submitted to twelve sessions of 15 minutes each, conducted in a room with a washbasin and other matters that might be used in the ritual's performance. Each child was submitted to the following conditions: toys of medium preference, toys of medium preference and dirt (conditioned aversive stimulus); toys of low preference, toys of low preference and dirt, toys of high preference; toys of high preference and dirt; aversive tasks; aversive tasks and dirt. All sessions were videotaped and the occurrence and duration of behavior categories related to anxiety and obsessive-compulsive behavior, including washing hands cleaning items, nibbling nails were registered. Results: Results show a relationship between these behaviors and the experimental conditions. Subject 1 presented more duration of obsessive-compulsive behavior and had a higher duration at the aversive task condition and at the toys of low preference conditions (rising conjectures that this behavior would have a lower probability of occurrence under reinforcement conditions). Subject 2i spent all the time playing while in presence of the toys of medium and high preferences. Obsessive-compulsive behaviors were observed under the toys of low preference condition and under the aversive condition (washing and cleaning hands in his clothes). Subject 3 showed some obsessive-compulsive behavior mainly when dirt was presented with aversive tasks