Abstract
Tic frequency was assessed and compared across home and clinic as well as three experimentally-manipulated situations in order to assess the phenomenon of tic reactivity. Forty-three youngsters with chronic tic disorder recruited from two geographically-distinct sites were videotaped over three weekly laboratory visits under each of the following conditions: (1) alone/camera present, (2) other present/camera present, and (3) alone/camera hidden. Contrary to expectation, more tics were observed during overt as compared to covert observation, while the presence of another person had no overall impact on tic expression. Mean tic counts obtained from clinic observation did not significantly differ from those obtained at home collected either one day before or after. Tic frequency counts were remarkably stable over the three weekly assessments both at home and clinic. Study findings are consistent with past observations that tic expression can be influenced by environmental factors and suggest the stability of tic frequency may exhibit greater temporal and setting stability than previously thought. The clinical and research implications of these results are discussed.
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Notes
Although there was no significant main effect for site F(1, 37)=1.200, p=.NS, σ p 2=.031, there was an observation method by site interaction, F(2, 36)=8.455, p=.001, σ p 2=.320 resulting from a higher rate of tic expression in the Overt-Alone condition at UWM (M=56.5, SD=24.17) as compared to UCLA (M=33.73, SD=23.06, t(41)=3.15, p<.01, d=.96.
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported by collaborative research grants from the Tourette Syndrome Association to Douglas Woods, Ph.D. (UWM) and John Piacentini, Ph.D. (UCLA). The authors would also like to acknowledge the contributions of Liviu Bunaciu, Jordan Bonow, Ryan Walsh, Brecken Gilbert, Araceli Gonzalez, and the children and their families who participated in this research.
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Piacentini, J., Himle, M.B., Chang, S. et al. Reactivity of Tic Observation Procedures to Situation and Setting. J Abnorm Child Psychol 34, 647–656 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-006-9048-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-006-9048-5