Lam Trenton, Grant Jon E
Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine, 5841 S. Maryland Avenue, Chicago, IL, MC-3077, 60637, USA.
BMC Psychiatry. 2025 Sep 2;25(1):851. doi: 10.1186/s12888-025-07360-8.
Participant discontinuation is a significant challenge in pharmacological trials for trichotillomania (hair-pulling disorder). Attrition in clinical trials reduces statistical power, introduces error, and potentially wastes financial and medical resources. Identifying predictors of discontinuation may help researchers enhance participant retention and improve study outcomes.
Data from five completed pharmacological trials for trichotillomania were aggregated, and participants were classified as either Discontinued or Completed. Differences in demographic and clinical variables between these groups were analyzed using a generalized linear mixed model.
Of the 222 participants, 177 (80%) were categorized as the Completed group. Discontinued patients (20%) were more likely to have achieved higher levels of formal education and were more likely to have a history of depression.
This study is among the first to examine variables associated with discontinuation rates in trichotillomania trials. The results underscore the importance of addressing educational background and patient history of depression when assessing dropout risk. These findings can guide future research to better support participants at risk of discontinuing treatment.
在拔毛癖（拔毛障碍）的药物试验中，受试者退出是一项重大挑战。临床试验中的受试者流失会降低统计效力，引入误差，并可能浪费财政和医疗资源。确定退出的预测因素可能有助于研究人员提高受试者保留率并改善研究结果。
汇总五项已完成的拔毛癖药物试验的数据，将受试者分为退出组或完成组。使用广义线性混合模型分析这两组在人口统计学和临床变量上的差异。
在222名受试者中，177名（80%）被归类为完成组。退出的患者（20%）更有可能接受过更高水平的正规教育，并且更有可能有抑郁症病史。
本研究是首批考察拔毛癖试验中与退出率相关变量的研究之一。结果强调了在评估退出风险时考虑教育背景和患者抑郁症病史的重要性。这些发现可为未来的研究提供指导，以更好地支持有退出治疗风险的受试者。
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