Obsessive-compulsive disorder during the COVID-19 pandemic: unveiling the traits that hold the key-a cross-sectional study.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted global mental health, notably obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Our aim is to reveal the intricacies of how OCD presents itself during a pandemic and its association with sociodemographic factors, offering insights that may enhance mental health management and improve readiness for future public health crises.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2022. Utilizing a cluster sampling approach, participants were recruited online and administered the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised (OCI-R). The acquired dataset was subsequently analyzed using SPSS software (v.27) and R programming language (v.4.4.1).

Results: In this study, 593 eligible individuals were included. Among them, 54.8% were female, and the participants had a mean age of 40.71 ± 11.7. Based on OCI-R, 73.2% of the participants scored ≥ 21, indicating more Likelihood of disturbing from OCD. Satisfaction with monthly income and sex significantly differed between OCD positive and negative groups. The logistic regression analysis demonstrated that individuals exhibiting checking traits had a substantially higher probability, approximately 23.09 times, of indicating OCD. Additionally, we uncovered that checking, ordering, and neutralizing traits were more greatly impacted by sociodemographic factors.

Conclusions: This study highlights the notable increase in new cases of mental health disorders, including OCD, due to the impact of COVID-19. It recommends proactive consideration of OCD risk factors during stressful events like pandemics, focusing on predisposing traits and sociodemographic factors to prevent and manage the disorder effectively.