{"title":"Autistic traits in obsessive compulsive disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis","authors":"Sıla Derin , Melike Tetik , Emre Bora","doi":"10.1016/j.jpsychires.2025.05.006","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Several lines of evidence point to a strong association between OCD and autism-spectrum disorder and broader autism phenotype. However, the extent and nature of overlapping autistic traits has not been completely understood.</div></div><div><h3>Method</h3><div>A systematic review in Pubmed and Scopus databases was performed to compare autistic traits between OCD patients and healthy controls (December 1990 to March 2025). A random-effects meta-analyses were conducted.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Current meta-analysis included 27 studies consisting of 1677 patients with OCD and 1239 healthy controls. Compared to healthy controls, total autistic traits (<em>g</em> = 1.27, <em>CI</em> = 1.02, 1.53), also ratings in social-communication domain (<em>g</em> = 0.98, <em>CI</em> = 0.66, 1.31), and restricted/repetitive behaviors (RRBs) domain (<em>g</em> = 1.65, <em>CI</em> = 1.27, 2.04) were increased in OCD patients. OCD symptoms were more strongly related to RRBs domain scores (<em>r</em> = 0.34, <em>CI</em> = 0.19, 0.48) than social-communication domain scores (<em>r</em> = 0.18, <em>CI</em> = 0.09, 0.27).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>OCD is associated with significant increases in both RRBs and social-communication domains. A substantial subset of OCD emerges in youth who have autistic traits, particularly RRBs. In adults, elevated social-communication scores might, at least partly, reflect the effect of chronic OCD symptoms on social functioning rather than true increase in this domain.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":16868,"journal":{"name":"Journal of psychiatric research","volume":"187 ","pages":"Pages 181-191"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7000,"publicationDate":"2025-05-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of psychiatric research","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022395625002961","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"PSYCHIATRY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background
Several lines of evidence point to a strong association between OCD and autism-spectrum disorder and broader autism phenotype. However, the extent and nature of overlapping autistic traits has not been completely understood.
Method
A systematic review in Pubmed and Scopus databases was performed to compare autistic traits between OCD patients and healthy controls (December 1990 to March 2025). A random-effects meta-analyses were conducted.
Results
Current meta-analysis included 27 studies consisting of 1677 patients with OCD and 1239 healthy controls. Compared to healthy controls, total autistic traits (g = 1.27, CI = 1.02, 1.53), also ratings in social-communication domain (g = 0.98, CI = 0.66, 1.31), and restricted/repetitive behaviors (RRBs) domain (g = 1.65, CI = 1.27, 2.04) were increased in OCD patients. OCD symptoms were more strongly related to RRBs domain scores (r = 0.34, CI = 0.19, 0.48) than social-communication domain scores (r = 0.18, CI = 0.09, 0.27).
Conclusions
OCD is associated with significant increases in both RRBs and social-communication domains. A substantial subset of OCD emerges in youth who have autistic traits, particularly RRBs. In adults, elevated social-communication scores might, at least partly, reflect the effect of chronic OCD symptoms on social functioning rather than true increase in this domain.
期刊介绍:
Founded in 1961 to report on the latest work in psychiatry and cognate disciplines, the Journal of Psychiatric Research is dedicated to innovative and timely studies of four important areas of research:
(1) clinical studies of all disciplines relating to psychiatric illness, as well as normal human behaviour, including biochemical, physiological, genetic, environmental, social, psychological and epidemiological factors;
(2) basic studies pertaining to psychiatry in such fields as neuropsychopharmacology, neuroendocrinology, electrophysiology, genetics, experimental psychology and epidemiology;
(3) the growing application of clinical laboratory techniques in psychiatry, including imagery and spectroscopy of the brain, molecular biology and computer sciences;