A prospective study of paediatric obsessive-compulsive symptomatology in a Spanish community sample

Area of Science:

• Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
• Developmental Psychology
• Mental Health Research

Background:

• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and related manifestations can impact children's development.
• Understanding the longitudinal course and predictors of these symptoms in non-clinical samples is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To prospectively assess the course of obsessive-compulsive manifestations in a non-clinical child sample over three years.
• To identify predictors and prevalence rates of obsessive-compulsive symptoms and their different severity levels.

Main Methods:

• A 3-year prospective study involving an initial sample of 1,514 school-age children.
• Symptom screening for obsessive-compulsive, anxiety, and depressive disorders.
• Re-assessment of 562 subjects and 3-year follow-up of 242 subjects using the Leyton Obsessional Inventory-Child Version (LOI-CV).

Main Results:

• LOI-CV scores significantly decreased over the 3-year study period, independent of age and gender.
• Prevalence, persistence, and incidence of obsessive-compulsive manifestations ranged from 4.8-30.4%, 9.3-28.4%, and 1.1-14.4%, respectively.
• Anxiety, depressive, and obsessive-compulsive symptoms predicted 34.6-64.5% of obsessive-compulsive symptomatology; depressive symptoms did not predict less severe forms (obsessiveness).

Conclusions:

• Obsessive-compulsive manifestations show substantial continuity in children, with varying severity levels.
• Anxiety and depressive symptoms are significant predictors of obsessive-compulsive symptomatology in children.
• Gender and socioeconomic status were not associated with obsessive-compulsive manifestations in this sample.