Obsessive-compulsive symptoms and personal recovery in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders: A...

Obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS) frequently co-occur in patients with Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders (SSD). Patients with SSD and OCS experience increased clinical and social challenges, including diminished quality of life and subjective well-being. However, it is unknown whether co-morbid OCS are associated with personal recovery.

To investigate whether the presence and severity of OCS in patients with SSD is associated with lower self-reported personal recovery.

A cross-sectional design was employed, examining 527 patients with SSD. Group comparisons between patients with and without OCS for self-reported personal recovery (assessed with the Recovery Assessment Scale (RAS-24)) were conducted using analysis of covariance, adjusting for positive, negative and general symptoms. Multiple regression analyses were performed in 133 patients with co-occurring OCS to assess the additional explained variance in personal recovery by OCS severity after adjusting for the same covariates in the first block of the model.

Group comparisons demonstrated that the presence of co-morbid OCS was associated with lower scores in personal recovery. Multiple hierarchical regression analyses showed that OCS severity was significantly associated with personal recovery by explaining an additional 3.0 % of variance in personal recovery.

Our findings suggest that co-occurring OCS in patients with SSD are relevant for personal recovery and that treatment should also address OCS.