A multilevel longitudinal study of obsessive compulsive symptoms in adolescence: male gender and emotional stability as protective factors

Vasilis Stavropoulos,Rapson Gomez,Kathleen A Moore,Helen Lazaratou,Dimitris Dikaios

doi:10.1186/s12991-017-0165-z

Vasilis Stavropoulos, Rapson Gomez + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/s12991-017-0165-z

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Abstract

The severity of obsessive compulsive symptoms (OCS) is suggested to be normally distributed in the general population, and they appear to have an impact on a range of aspects of adolescent development. Importantly, there are individual differences regarding susceptibility to OCS. In the present repeated measures study, OCS were studied in relation to gender and emotional stability (as a personality trait) using a normative sample of 515 adolescents at ages 16 and 18 years. OCS were assessed with the relevant subscale of the SCL-90-R and emotional stability with the Five Factor Questionnaire. A three-level hierarchical linear model was calculated to longitudinally assess the over time variations of OCS and their over time links to gender and emotional stability, while controlling for random effects due to the nesting of the data. Experiencing OCS increased with age (between 16 and 18 years). Additionally, male gender and higher emotional stability were associated with lower OCS at 16 years and these remained stable over time. Results indicate age-related and between individual differences on reported OCS that need to be considered for prevention and intervention planning.

Highlights

Over the past two decades, significant emphasis has been placed on understanding the etiology of obsessive compulsive symptoms (OCS) [1, 2]
The severity of OCS is suggested to be normally distributed in the general population and often constitutes a transient part of normal development [3, 4]
The aim was to examine agerelated change in OCS between 16 and 18 years taking into consideration the effects of emotional stability and male gender as individual level protective factors, while controlling for clustering effects

Summary

Introduction

Over the past two decades, significant emphasis has been placed on understanding the etiology of obsessive compulsive symptoms (OCS) [1, 2]. OCS over a specific threshold may result in obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), which is a chronic psychiatric condition, with potentially serious repercussions [5] OCD includes either obsessions or compulsions or a combination of both. It tends to compromise the quality of life and the well-being of the individual in significant ways by causing distress and interfering with everyday functioning [1, 3]

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Conclusion