Personality dimensions in obsessive-compulsive disorder: relation to clinical variables

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Psychology
• Personality Science

Background:

• Interpreting personality factors in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is challenging due to inconsistent personality models and clinical heterogeneity.
• A dimensional approach to personality may offer clearer insights into OCD's underlying traits.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the dimensional personality profile associated with OCD.
• To explore the relationship between personality factors and clinical variables in OCD patients.

Main Methods:

• Sixty outpatients with OCD were assessed using Cloninger's Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI).
• Symptom severity and dimensions were measured using the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS).

Main Results:

• OCD patients exhibited significantly higher harm avoidance and lower novelty-seeking, self-directedness, and cooperativeness compared to healthy controls.
• These personality differences remained significant in pure OCD cases without comorbid conditions.
• High harm avoidance scores correlated with comorbid depressive symptoms and hoarding-related OCD symptoms.

Conclusions:

• A distinct dimensional personality profile characterizes OCD, featuring high harm avoidance and low novelty-seeking, self-directedness, and cooperativeness.
• Clinical heterogeneity, including comorbidities and symptom subtypes, significantly influences the manifestation of personality traits in OCD.