Prevalence of childhood obsessive–compulsive personality traits in adults with obsessive compulsive disorder versus obsessive compulsive personality disorder

Abstract

Identifying risk factors of psychopathology has been an important research challenge. Prior studies examining the impact of childhood temperament on adult disorder have largely focused on undercontrolled and inhibited presentations, with little study of overcontrolled traits such as obsessive-compulsive personality traits (OCPTs). We compared rates of childhood OCPTs in adults with OCD (without OCPD) (n = 28) to adults with OCPD (without OCD) (n = 27), adults with both OCD and OCPD (n = 28), and healthy controls (HC) (n= 28), using the Childhood Retrospective Perfectionism Questionnaire, a validated measure of perfectionism, inflexibility, and drive for order. Adults with OCPD (both with and without comorbid OCD) reported higher rates of all three childhood OCPTs relative to HC. Individuals with OCD (without OCPD) reported higher rates of inflexibility and drive for order relative to HC, suggesting that these traits may presage the development of OCD, independent of OCPD. Childhood OCPTs were associated with particular OCD symptom dimensions in adulthood (contamination/cleaning, doubt/checking, and symmetry/ordering), independent of OCD onset age and OCPD diagnosis. Longitudinal prospective studies evaluating OCPTs in children are needed to better understand the progression of these traits from childhood to adulthood and their ability to predict future psychopathology.

Do Individuals With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder Share Similar Neural Mechanisms of Decision-Making Under Ambiguous Circumstances?

“…It is widely known that medications can affect the preferences of OCD subjects during the IGT task (Long et al, 2015). The co-existence of OCD and OCPD results in more severe impairments in terms of executive function when compared to OCD without OCPD (Pinto et al, 2015). Research should be continued in more patients who have only OCD or OCPD and are not taking medication.…”

Obsessive–Compulsive Personality Traits in Youth with Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder

“…Similarly, studies with adults have noted that OCPD is associated with greater contamination, symmetry, and doubting symptoms [4,7,13]. While these results are compelling, longitudinal studies are necessary to evaluate the trajectory of childhood OCPTs into adulthood and determine whether OCPTs may serve as a marker for OCD youth who are at risk of developing OCPD.…”

“…A recent study of adults with OCPD (with and without comorbid OCD) retrospectively reported higher rates of perfectionism, inflexibility and drive for order during childhood relative to healthy controls [13]. Other retrospective reports of OCPTs in childhood have also predicted the development of other psychiatric disorders, particularly within eating disorder samples [14].…”

The Relationship Between Behavioral Inhibition Strategies for Cognitive Regulation of Emotions and Young Adult Family of Life Events and Changes with Obsessive-Compulsive Traits in Students

“…Studies showed that there is a tendency to develop avoidance habits in OCD patients, providing support for a habit account of OCD (6). A number of studies found a relationship between obsessivecompulsive personality traits and behavioral inhibition (7,8).…”