Immediate reactions to the covid-19 pandemic in adults with obsessive-compulsive disorder: a self-report survey

Abstract

Background

Limited studies are available that investigate the reactions to COVID-19 pandemic by people suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Due to the nature of the pandemic and the heightened focus on contamination, cleaning, and social distancing, it is likely that a deterioration of OCD symptoms and severity will be seen.

Aims

Our aims were to evaluate (1) self-reported changes in OCD symptom severity of adults with OCD during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, (2) whether the COVID-19 pandemic would trigger self-reported contamination symptoms in persons with no history of such symptoms, (3) self-reported variables associated with OCD symptom severity change, and 4) self-reported changes in quality of life.

Method

A 47-item self-report questionnaire was sent to all members of the Danish OCD Association and the final sample comprised 201 adult participants. The association of OCD severity change with demographic and clinical variables was analyzed using linear regression.

Results

61.2% of participants reported an increase in OCD severity, based on the retrospective self-report. Female gender, self-reported contamination symptoms, and self-reported psychiatric comorbidity were found to have a significant association with increasing OCD severity. Five participants reported the emergence of contamination symptoms and two of harm related symptoms. Thirty participants reported a severe reduction in quality of life (≥80).

Conclusions

A large group of people suffering from OCD may require special attention and care during a pandemic like COVID-19 in order to lessen the deterioration of OCD symptoms and also to minimize the reduction in quality of life evident in this group.

Keywords:

• COVID-19
• obsessive compulsive disorder
• adults
• survey
• pandemic

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the Danish OCD Association for distributing the questionnaire and its members for taking time to participate in the study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Author contributions

All authors were involved in all stages of the study including formulating the research questions, designing the study, creating survey questions, execution of the study, data analyses and writing. D.R.M.A.H. was the main responsible for data collection, data analyses and drafting the manuscript. C.D. was responsible for data coding and parts of the manuscript drafting. P.H.T. and J.N. were responsible for the study execution and supervision.

Additional information

Funding

This research received no specific grant from any funding agency, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

Notes on contributors

Davíð R. M. A. Højgaard

Davíð R. M. A. Højgaard PhD, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Aarhus University Hospital, Psychiatry, Denmark

Charlotte Duholm

Charlotte Duholm BSc, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Aarhus University Hospital, Psychiatry, Denmark

Judith B. Nissen

Judith B. Nissen PhD, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Aarhus University Hospital, Psychiatry, Denmark

Sanne Jensen

Sanne Jensen PhD, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Aarhus University Hospital, Psychiatry, Denmark

Per Hove Thomsen

Per Hove Thomsen DrMedSci, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Aarhus University Hospital, Psychiatry, Denmark.