Compulsive Traits Research Articles

Obsessive–Compulsive Traits and Problematic Internet Use Are Increased Among Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Is There a Role of Obsessive Doubts and Communication Impairment?

Background: The link between autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) and the complexity of their differential diagnosis has been vastly investigated. Growing attention has been paid to the presence of problematic Internet use (PIU) in autistic individuals. Studies assessing OCD traits in autistic individuals are scarce and even less take into account the role that this overlap may have on the development and maintenance of PIU. We aimed to investigate OCD features in ASD individuals and their association with autism severity and the prevalence of PIU, and the potential dimensions associated with a greater probability of PIU. Methods: a total of 46 participants with ASD and 53 controls were assessed with the Adult Autism Subthreshold Spectrum questionnaire and the Obsessive–Compulsive Spectrum—Short Version. Results: There were significantly higher OCD features in ASD participants along with important correlations between OCD and ASD dimensions and a higher prevalence of PIU in the ASD group. Participants with putative PIU reported greater scores on some ASD and OCD dimensions, the with Doubt and Non-verbal communication domains emerging as significant predictors of the presence of putative PIU. Conclusions: These results support the three-way link between ASD, OCD, and PIU, contributing to the hypothesis of a neurodevelopmental basis for those conditions.

Cybercrime target exposure, suitability, personality, and victimization: A longitudinal approach

This study utilizes the routine activity theory as a framework to examine if workplace social media usage, compulsive internet use, online aggression and personality traits are related to an elevated risk of cybervictimization. We leveraged 7-wave longitudinal survey data from the Finnish working population (N = 650) and employed multilevel, mixed-effects logistic regression to analyze fixed effects of in-between variables. Our findings reveal that target exposure, suitability and the personality trait of openness had a positive relationship with cybervictimization. We observed fluctuations in cybervictimization across the observation points, although the temporal pattern did not follow a linear trajectory. The results underscore the importance of longitudinal studies on victimization and advocate additional research on cybervictimization within the working population. This study also emphasizes the need for the integration of established theories to augment our comprehension of the fundamental factors influencing cybervictimization.

Psychological and Psychiatric Characteristics of People with Keratoconus

Background and Objectives: There are many reports in the literature on the co-occurrence of somatic diseases and psychiatric disorders. Relatively few have addressed the co-occurrence of corneal cone with anxiety, depression, or personality disorders. Materials and Methods: 99 patients with keratoconus (study group) and 92 patients without keratoconus (control group) participated in the entire study, which was conducted in 2015 and 2020–2023. The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) and Beck’s Depression Inventory (BDI) were used to assess depressive symptoms, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) to assess anxiety symptoms, and the DSM-IV Personality Disorder Inventory (IBZO-DSM-IV) to identify personality disorders. Results: In the study group, the severity of depressive and anxiety symptoms correlated with all types of personality disorders. In the control group, these symptoms did not correlate with antisocial and narcissistic personalities. In the comparative analysis, there were more patients with antisocial, schizotypal, obsessive compulsive, schizoid, paranoid, and dependent personality traits in the study group. Conclusions: Patients with keratoconus have increased expressions of antisocial personality traits, but no differences in anxiety and depression symptoms were evident. Further research is needed among patients diagnosed with keratoconus in the short term.

Effect of dietary phospholipid on the behavior in C57BL/6J mice

Nowadays phospholipids are widely used as hepatoprotective, neuroprotective and anti-stress drugs, as well as the dietary supplements. Besides, lecithin consisting up to 70% of the phospholipids mixture: phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidic acid, is the often component of food production as an emulsifier. Dose of these biologically active substances in the modern human diet could be quite high. Previously we have shown that chronic intestinal inflammation in Muc2-knockout mice induces behavioral changes along with the significant increase in the content of phospholipids in intestinal epithelial cells, particularly, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylserine and phosphatidic acid. Here we investigate the effects of long-term administration of a mixture of these phospholipids, as well as the effects of long-term administration of soy lecithin on the behavioral patterns in laboratory mice. Animals long-term taken a phospholipid mixture shows no normally observed preference towards females in the two intruders test (with female and male). In the social odor preference test, they also did not distinguish female and male odors, while non-social odors discrimination preserved. In addition, we identified a decrease in anxiety, obsessive traits, and schizophrenia-like behavior traits in these animals. Soy lecithin supplementation had similar effects on social behavior and compulsive traits, and increased aggression in males. Thus, long-term perinatal administration of either mixture of phospholipids (phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylserine and phosphatidic acid) or soy lecithin can influence various aspects of behavior in mice.

Striving for the perfect diet? The mediating role of perfectionism in the relationship between obsessive compulsive symptoms and traits of Orthorexia Nervosa

BackgroundOrthorexia Nervosa (ON) is a disordered eating style involving an unhealthy obsession with ‘healthy’ or ‘clean’ eating. Its aetiology is still poorly understood and is not yet recognised in diagnostic manuals. While ON has been associated with Obsessive Compulsive (OC) symptoms and perfectionism, no study to date has looked at the relationship between OC symptoms and ON tendencies via perfectionism, or the influence of two facets of perfectionism in this relationship, namely evaluative concern and achievement striving. Examining the potential role of perfectionism helps to understand the aetiology of ON as well as inform potential treatments tailored specifically for ON and comorbid OC symptoms.MethodsIn this cross sectional study, we tested 507 participants (n = 70 males, n = 69 at risk of ON) on questionnaires measuring OC symptoms, perfectionism and ON symptoms. We ran two mediation analyses to look at the overall relationship between perfectionism and OC and ON symptoms (Model 1) as well as the specific contribution of evaluative concern and achievement striving in the relationship between OC and ON symptoms (Model 2).ResultsWe found that perfectionism partially mediated the relationship between OC and ON symptoms. Specifically, we found that while achievement striving and evaluative concern were associated with OC symptoms, only achievement striving was significantly associated with ON symptoms, mediating the relationship between OC and ON symptoms.ConclusionsThis study highlighted the role of one key facet of perfectionism (achievement striving) in the aetiology of ON. The role of achievement striving was indicated as a transdiagnostic construct explaining the link between ON and OC symptoms. These findings are discussed in terms of their implications for treatment models, specifically in terms of the potential role of targeting perfectionism in ON treatment.

The Role of Obsessive Compulsive Traits in Fibromyalgia: Is Pain-Related Obsessive Ideation Involved in Pathogenesis?

Background and Objectives: Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is defined as a chronic pain syndrome that is characterized by widespread pain, tenderness, and diffuse stiffness. In addition, neuropsychological symptoms such as fatigue, sleep disorders, poor mood, cognitive impairment, and headaches are often reported. Many reports have addressed the coexistence of affective disorders and anxiety with FMS, yet few have focused on its association with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). We investigated the occurrence of classical patterns of OCD in participants with FMS and assessed their effect on pain perception and functional impairment. Material and Methods: The research population included 37 patients diagnosed with FMS, treated at the Rheumatology Clinic in the Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Israel. We used validated questionnaires including a demographic questionnaire, a questionnaire on average and maximal pain intensity, the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised (EPQ-R), the Perceived Stress Scale, the Pain Catastrophizing Scale, the Pain Obsessive questionnaire, and the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS). Results: Patients with FMS were found to have intrusive and obsessive thoughts regarding pain for several hours every day, causing a high degree of anxiety and high levels of pain, catastrophizing, and magnification, leading to helplessness and functional impairment. In total, 27% of the patients reported severe malfunction due to pain and pain ideation, and 49% demonstrated mild obsessive compulsive symptoms that were strongly correlated with pain intensity and functional impairment. Conclusions: Obsessive compulsive thinking patterns contribute to pain magnification and to the cognitive aspects of fibromyalgia syndrome.

Ethnic Differences in the Prevalence of Compulsive and Histrionic Traits among Pilots in the UAE: A Comparative Study

This study aims to examine the prevalence rates of compulsive and histrionic characteristics among pilots from diverse demographic backgrounds such as South Asian, Middle Eastern, and Western pilots. The research aims to identify differences in personality traits and explore potential correlations within each ethnic group of commercial pilots. The data was provided by sixty pilots, equally representing three different ethnic groups, with twenty participants in each demographic. To collect the data, the researchers used a measuring tool designed to reveal signs of mental disorders, known as the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI). According to ANOVA results, there is a notable difference in prevalence rates for compulsive and histrionic traits among the three different ethnic groups (F (2,87) = 4.76, p =0.00057). Overall, the results showed that South Asian pilots had more compulsive traits than Middle Eastern and Western pilots. On the other hand, Middle Eastern pilots were found to have a higher occurrence of histrionic traits compared to their counterparts from South Asia and Westen pilots. The correlation analysis confirmed that there was a substantial link between histrionic and compulsive traits (r = 0.51, p < 0.05). A similar trend was seen for Middle Eastern pilots, where a weakly positive link (r = 0.24, p < 0.05) was visible. On the other hand, the Western pilots showed a weak, inverse correlation between compulsive and histrionic characteristics (r = - 0.14, p<00), displaying unique profiles within this group in terms of their mutual interaction. These results offer a profound understanding of the relationship between ethnicity and personality traits in pilots.

The Correlation Between Peripheral Blood Micro-Ribonucleic Acid Expression Level and Personality Disorder in Patients with Schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia patients often have personality disorders; schizophrenia patients with personality disorders are more difficult to treat and have a worse prognosis. Early identification of this group of patients and early intervention can achieve better prognosis. Therefore, it is very important to explore effective biomarkers and early diagnosis for the prognosis of schizophrenia. The primary purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between plasma miRNA expression level and personality disorder with schizophrenia. Gene microarrays in miRNA files were employed, and the plasma of peripheral blood of 82 schizophrenic patients and 43 healthy control subjects were examined. Real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction detection were performed to explore the results. Spearman correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between expression level of miRNAs and Personality Diagnosis Questionnaire-4 score. The results showed that miR-1273d, miR-1303, miR-3064-5p, miR-3131, miR-3687, miR-4428, miR-4725-3p, and miR-5096 were up-regulated in schizophrenic patients. Compared to healthy control subjects, the difference was statistically significant (P < .05). Schizophrenic patients with schizoid, paranoid, schizotypal, and obsessive compulsive traits had negative correlation with miR-1303, miR-3131, miR-4428, and miR-5096 expression level (r = -0.40 to -0.62, P < .05); there were no significant differences in the other miRNAs. Correlation with other personality traits was not significant (P > .05). The stepwise regression analysis indicated that miR-5096, miR-3131, and miR-1273d have a significant predictive effect on the schizoid trait (P < .01). MiR-4428 and miR-1303 had a significant predictive effect on the schizotypal trait (P < .01). MiR-5096, miR-4428, and miR-4725-3P had a significant predictive effect on the paranoid trait (P < .05). MiR-4428, miR-1303, and miR-5096 had a significant predictive effect on the obsessive compulsive trait (P < .05). The expression levels of miR-1273d, miR-1303, miR-3064-5p, miR-3131, miR-3687, miR-4428, miR-4725-3p, and miR-5096 were up-regulated in the peripheral blood of patients with schizophrenia, and these miRNAs are expected to be diagnostic biomarkers for accurate diagnosis of schizophrenia. The expression levels of miR-1303, miR-3131, miR-1273d, miR-4428, miR-4725-3p, and miR-5096 have significant predictive effects on personality disorder in schizophrenia.

Compulsivity and Inhibitory Control Deficits in Abstinent Individuals With Heroin Addiction and Their Biological Siblings Compared With Unrelated Healthy Control Participants

BackgroundCompulsivity represents the performance of persistent and repetitive acts despite negative consequences and is considered one of the critical mechanisms for drug addiction. Although compulsivity-related neurocognitive impairments have been linked to addiction, it remains unclear whether these deficits might have predated drug abuse as potential familial susceptibilities. MethodsA large sample of 213 adult participants were recruited, including 70 abstinent individuals addicted to heroin (HAs), 69 unaffected biological siblings of the HAs (siblings), and 74 unrelated healthy control participants. Compulsivity-related neurocognitive functions were evaluated using the intradimensional/extradimensional set-shift task and a probabilistic reversal learning task. Compulsive traits were measured by the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised. Inhibitory control was assessed using the stop signal task and Stroop Color and Word Test. Network models for group recognition were conducted using multilayer perceptron neural networks. ResultsData indicated that both HAs and siblings performed worse than healthy control participants on compulsivity-related aspects (i.e., shifting and reversal learning functions) and inhibitory control and had higher levels of self-reported compulsive traits. Furthermore, neural models revealed that a possible 3-facet clustering of neurocognitive deficits was linked to both HAs and siblings. ConclusionsOur findings suggest that deficits in shift reversal and inhibitory control aspects and elevated compulsive traits, shared by HAs and their unaffected siblings, may putatively represent conceivable markers associated with familial vulnerabilities implicated in the development of heroin dependence.

The Associations between Obsessive Compulsive Personality Traits, Self-Efficacy, and Exercise Addiction.

Exercise addiction refers to maladaptive exercise patterns involving compulsivity and addiction-like behaviors. Exercise addiction has been found to relate to negative physical and mental health outcomes such as heart abnormalities, physical injuries, and interpersonal conflicts. Based on the social cognitive theory, this study investigated the extent to which the interplay of obsessive compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) traits and self-efficacy beliefs would influence the development and maintenance of exercise addiction. A total of 1228 college students in the United States responded to an online survey. Based on cut-off scores of the Revised Exercise Addiction Inventory, the prevalence estimates of exercise addiction were 4.0% for males and 1.8% for females. Results showed that males are more prone to exercise addiction than females. Also, OCPD traits and self-efficacy significantly predicted exercise addiction after controlling for age and sex. Self-efficacy acted as a moderator in influencing the relationship between OCPD traits and exercise addiction, especially for females. At high levels of self-efficacy, more OCPD traits were significantly associated with a higher risk of exercise addiction. However, at low levels of self-efficacy, there was no association between OCPD traits and exercise addiction. The findings suggest that public education and intervention for exercise addiction should attend to the interplay between personality factors and sex.

Excessive Checking in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Neurochemical Correlates Revealed by 7T Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

BackgroundCompulsive checking, a common symptom of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), has been difficult to capture experimentally. Therefore, determination of its neural basis remains challenging despite some evidence suggesting that it is linked to dysfunction of cingulostriatal systems. This study introduces a novel experimental paradigm to measure excessive checking and its neurochemical correlates. MethodsThirty-one patients with OCD and 29 healthy volunteers performed a decision-making task requiring them to decide whether 2 perceptually similar visual representations were the same or different under a high-uncertainty condition without feedback. Both groups underwent 7T magnetic resonance spectroscopy scans on the same day. Correlations between out-of-scanner experimental measures of checking and the glutamate/GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) ratio in the anterior cingulate cortex, supplementary motor area, and occipital cortex were assessed. Their relationship with subjective ratings of doubt, anxiety, and confidence was also investigated. ResultsPatients with OCD exhibited excessive and dysfunctional checking, which was significantly correlated with changes in the glutamate/GABA ratio within the anterior cingulate cortex. No behavioral/neurochemical relationships were evident for either the supplementary motor area or occipital cortex. The excessive checking observed in patients was negatively correlated with their confidence levels and positively related to doubt, anxiety, and compulsivity traits. ConclusionsWe conclude that experimental measures of excessive and dysfunctional checking in OCD, which have been linked to increased doubt, anxiety, and lack of confidence, are related to an imbalance between excitatory and inhibitory neural activity within the anterior cingulate cortex. This study adds to our understanding of the role of this region in OCD by providing a laboratory model of the possible development of compulsive checking.

Different personality profiles in patients with cluster headache: a data-driven approach.

Cluster headache (CH) is usually comorbid to mood spectrum disorders, but the psychopathological aspects are poorly explored. We aimed at identifying discrete profiles of personality traits and their association with clinical features. Based on the personality scales of the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III, principal component analysis (PCA) identified psychological patterns of functioning of 56 CH patients. PCA outcomes were used for hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) for sub-groups classification. Eighty-seven percent of patients had personality dysfunctions. PCA found two bipolar patterns: (i) negativistic, sadic-aggressive, borderline, and compulsive traits were distinctive of the psychological dysregulation (PD) dimension, and (ii) narcissistic, histrionic, avoidant, and schizoid traits loaded under the social engagement (SE) component. PD was associated with disease duration and psychopathology. SE was related to educational level and young age. HCA found three groups of patients, and the one with high PD and low SE had the worst psychological profile. Personality disorders are common in CH. Our data-driven approach revealed distinct personality patterns which can appear differently among patients. The worst combination arguing against mental health is low SE and high PD. Linking this information with medical history may help clinicians to identify tailored-based therapeutic interventions for CH patients.

Brief Report: Local-Global Processing and Co-occurrence of Anxiety, Autistic and Obsessive-Compulsive Traits in a Non-clinical Sample.

Increased local-to-global interference has been found in those with ASD, AD and OCD, and as such, may represent a transdiagnostic marker. As a first step to investigating this, we aimed to assess the overlap in traits of these disorders in a non-clinical sample, and whether local-global processing relates to the traits of the three conditions. Participants (n = 149) completed questionnaires including the Autism Quotient (AQ), the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory (OCI-R) and the Zung Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) and an online version of the Navon task. Behavioural metrics of interference and precedence were extracted from the task and correlated with trait scores. We found moderate to strong correlations between the total scores for ASD, anxiety and OCD. Most local-global processing indices did not relate to traits. The study found evidence for an overlap in autism, anxiety and obsessive-compulsive traits in a non-clinical sample. However, local-global processing, as measured by the Navon task, did not appear to underpin symptomatology in the sample and could not be considered a transdiagnostic marker. Future research should investigate the value of alternate metrics.

Impact of exercise addiction on quality of life during COVID-19: mediating role of obsessive-compulsive disorder and physiological symptoms

ABSTRACT The COVID-19 pandemic compelled people to think about their physical and mental well-being. The current study investigates the relationship between exercise addiction (EA) and quality of life (QOL) through obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and physiological symptoms. Correlation and mediation analyses were adopted to test the proposed models on 318 respondents. Two serial mediation models were examined between EA and QOL through OCD and physiological symptoms. Results revealed that there was a strong positive correlation between EA, OCD, and physiological symptoms with each other and a negative correlation between EA, OCD, and physiological symptoms with QOL. Individuals’ QOL was more affected by obsessive and compulsive traits rather than physiological injuries. This study elaborated on the understanding of EA and QOL specifically in a pandemic scenario.

A nomological network for misophonia in two German samples using the S-Five model for misophonia.

The Selective Sound Sensitivity Syndrome Scale (S-Five) is a contemporary and multidimensional self-report instrument measuring different aspects of misophonia. The five-factor scale consists of 25 items measuring the severity of the misophonic experience. The items capture misophonia in relation to internalising and externalising appraisals, perceived threat, aggressive behavior (outbursts), and adverse impact on individuals' lives. It is complemented by a trigger checklist (S-Five-T), measuring the emotional nature and intensity of reactions to sensory triggers. In this work, we administered the S-Five in two German samples with a majority of individuals with significant misophonia. The S-Five and the supplementary S-Five-T were both translated into German using a rigorous translation procedure (i.e., TRAPD) and were separately tested in large German community samples. Psychometric analyses included the evaluation of the factor structure, measurement invariance with respect to age and gender, reliability (internal consistency and stability over time), and an extensive examination of the construct validity in a proposed nomological network. The nomological network we explore in this work consists of several constructs including different misophonic manifestations, anger and aggression, disgust propensity, anxiety sensitivity, depression, obsessive-compulsive traits, and functional impairment in different life domains. Results indicate evidence in line with the nomological network as demonstrated by strong correlations between the S-Five dimensions and convergent measures. All S-Five dimensions strongly correlated with overall misophonic symptoms (r ≥ 0.53). Internalising appraisals were highly associated with insight into excessive or disproportionate reactions to sounds (r ≥ 0.59), externalising appraisals with anger and irritability (r ≥ 0.46), threat with trait anxiety and dysregulation facets (r ≥ 0.62), aggressive behavior (outbursts) with anger and behavioral dysregulation (r ≥ 0.70), and impact with distress and functional impairment (r ≥ 0.64). The results demonstrate that the S-Five has a robust five-factor structure and allows to draw reliable and valid conclusions about misophonic experiences in German samples. The proposed nomological network gives an initial insight into the nature of misophonia and provides a formalized fundament to develop and test further hypotheses about misophonia in a more sophisticated and symptom-oriented way.

Emotion recognition, alexithymia, empathy, and emotion regulation in women with anorexia nervosa

PurposeAnorexia nervosa (AN) is associated with challenges in recognizing, understanding, and interpreting one’s own and other’s emotional states, feelings, and thoughts. It is unknown whether difficulties in emotion processing occur independently of common comorbid symptoms of AN and predict acute eating disorder characteristics. We aimed to examine emotion recognition, alexithymia, emotion regulation, and empathy in individuals with AN and to assess whether these predict eating disorder symptoms independently from comorbid symptoms.MethodsParticipants included 42 women with AN and 40 healthy control (HC) women between 18–30 years. Basic and complex emotion recognition was assessed with face photos and video clips. Alexithymia, empathy, emotion regulation, and comorbid symptoms (anxiety, depressive, and obsessive–compulsive symptoms and ASD traits) were assessed with self-assessment questionnaires.ResultsParticipants with AN exhibited difficulties in basic and complex emotion recognition, as well as increased alexithymia, decreased empathy, and challenges in emotion regulation when compared to HCs. After controlling for comorbid symptoms, differences remained only in complex emotion recognition. Challenges in emotion recognition were associated with lower body mass index, and increased alexithymia was associated with increased eating disorder symptoms. Increased challenges in emotion regulation were associated with a shorter duration of illness, higher body mass index, and increased eating disorder symptoms.ConclusionsParticipants with AN displayed widespread deficit in emotion processing, but only challenges in complex emotion recognition occurred independently from comorbid symptoms. Deficits in emotion processing may contribute to the illness severity and thus could be an important treatment target.Level of EvidenceLevel III, case-control analytic study.

Evaluation of functional constipation frequency and related factors.

The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of functional constipation (FC) in İzmir using ROME IV criteria, as well as to investigate the relationship of FC with various factors, particularly obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and personality traits. This study was designed as cross-sectional analytical research. The participants were those aged 18 and over who applied to Family Health Centers (FHC). Participants were randomly selected from 11 FHC. Data were collected via a face-to-face interview, a questionnaire designed by the researcher using ROME IV criteria, the OCD module in the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview, and the Ten-Item Personality Inventory. The study included 990 participants, 502 (50.7%) women and 488 (49.3%) men. According to the ROME IV criteria, 7% (n = 69) of the participants in our study had FC. OCD was found to be present in 13% of the cases. This rate was found to be significantly higher (P = 0.003). The emotional stability scores of FC patients were found to be significantly lower (P = 0.038). FC is a common gastrointestinal system complaint in primary care and emphasizes the importance of the diagnostic approach, particularly in patients presenting with constipation due to treatment differences. Individuals with FC diagnoses had a significantly higher incidence of OCD, and their emotional stability levels were significantly lower. It should be noted that psychiatric diseases and personality traits may also play a role in this situation in individuals diagnosed with FC.

Not just right experiences and incompleteness as a predictor of Obsessive Compulsive symptoms in clinical and community samples: A meta-analysis

Sensory phenomena (SP) are uncomfortable feelings, including bodily sensations, “just-right” perceptions and feelings of incompleteness, which have been shown to be predictors of symptom severity in individuals with obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD). These sensory phenomena have also been related to obsessive compulsive (OC) traits within the general population. This meta-analysis aimed to quantify a possible relationship between sensory phenomena (incompleteness and Not Just in Right Experiences; NJRE), with OC symptoms in clinical and non-clinical samples. Methods: A systematic search was conducted for studies in children and adult populations of patients with OCD and in general populations displaying symptoms of OCD. Results: Effect sizes of incompleteness and NJRE were correlated to OCD symptoms. The effects sizes in the clinical and non-clinical groups did not differ significantly. Discussion: Robust effect sizes of incompleteness and NJRE in relation to OC symptomatology confirm sensory phenomena as marker of OC symptoms in both groups. The findings suggest that sensory phenomena could be targeted as an intervention in those showing both clinical and sub-clinical levels of OC traits.

Gender differences in obsessive-compulsive disorder traits among chronic migraine patients.

Psychiatric illnesses are often associated with severe forms of headache as chronic migraine (CM) with medication overuse headaches (MOH). Few data are available about obsessive-compulsive disorders (OCD) in migraineurs. This study aimed to investigate OCD traits in CM with MOH patients of both sexes and the impact on migraine treatment. We enrolled all consecutive patients with CM and MOH treated with onabotulinumtoxin-A (OBT-A) in our Headache Center. Each subject was submitted to the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised (OCI-R) test at the start (T0) and after four OBT-A sessions (T1). Statistical analysis compared OCI-R results at T0 and T1 according to sex with the chi-square test. We analyzed a sample of 60 subjects (40 females, 66.7%). At T0, 25% of males and 37.5% of females had a normal profile while 60% of males and 22.5% of females presented pathologic OCD traits. At T1, 30% of males and 60% of females were normal, while 40% of males and 15% of females resulted frankly pathologic. The difference in the OCI-R distribution was significant at T0 (p = 0.024) and at T1 (p = 0.047). Both males and females underwent a significant increase in normalization rates at T1 (p < 0.05). We observed a significant OCD traits rate at baseline, moreover among men. Females showed a more significant improvement in OCD traits at T1. OBT-A confirmed its high efficacy on CM, with a migraine severity improvement in both genders and all the OCI-R classes. Psychological attitude in the management of migraine should be better investigated in future studies.

The COVID-19 pandemic and problematic usage of the internet: Findings from a diverse adult sample in South Africa

BackgroundThe coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) has led to increased reliance on the internet. How problematic usage of the internet (PUI) and COVID-19 related stress and other clinical variables relate, is unknown. We hypothesised that higher PUI level would be significantly associated with higher levels of: (i) pandemic-related stress; and (ii) impulsive and compulsive symptoms and traits. MethodsAn online community-based cross-sectional survey was used for data collection. Relationships between PUI level and other variables were characterised using correlational analyses. Regression analyses determined the cumulative explanatory power of variables, with partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) to explore path loadings. ANOVA was used to investigate PUI level at varying lockdown levels. ResultsData from 2110 participants (64.5% female), aged 18–64 years (mean: 24.3, SD: 8.1) suggested that approximately a quarter (n = 489, 23.2%) had medium to high level internet use problems. Impulsive and compulsive symptoms and traits, pandemic-stress, and age were all significantly related to PUI (p < 0.01). These associations (medium effect sizes) cumulatively explained 29% of PUI variance. PLS-SEM indicated significant contributory effects, with the association between age and PUI level mediated by impulsivity, pandemic-stress and compulsivity. DiscussionPandemic-stress, impulsive-compulsive symptoms and traits and age were related to PUI level. Enhancing resilience to stress, particularly in vulnerable populations, through lifestyle changes and implementation of adaptive coping strategies, is key to reduce risk for PUI during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.