Do Autistic Traits Predict Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms? A Community-Based Study

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have similar characteristics. People with one of these disorders are more likely to meet the diagnosis of the other disorder than the general population. This study mainly investigated whether autistic traits predicted obsessive-compulsive symptom subtypes after controlling for some demographic features and clinical variables. This study included 460 university students from two universities and their family members. The subjects were asked to complete a sociodemographic and clinical data form, the Vancouver Obsessional Compulsive Inventory (VOCI), the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). The relationship between autistic symptoms and obsessive-compulsive symptoms was assessed using linear regression analysis, controlling for age, sex, depression, anxiety scores, and a history of frequent childhood upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs). The AQ attention-switching score was associated with hoarding (β = 0.135, p = .002), just-right (β = 0.087, p = .026), indecisiveness (β = 0.101, p = .006), and total VOCI (β = 0.080, p = .038) score. AQ subscale scores other than attention-switching were not associated with VOCI scores. Age was negatively associated with obsessions (β = -0.133, p = .001), just-right (β = -0.129, p = .002), indecisiveness (β = -0.214, p < .001), and total VOCI score (β = -0.109, p = .006). BDI and BAI total scores were positively associated with all VOCI scores (all β in between 0.114 and 0.318, all p in between 0.033 and <0.001). Checking (p = .025), just-right (p = .038), and total VOCI scores (p = .046) were significantly higher in the group with a history of frequent childhood URTIs compared to the group without. Individuals with OCD symptoms may exhibit attention-switching deficits similar to those of individuals with ASD symptoms, suggesting a subgroup of OCD that shares features with ASD. Attention-switching deficits should be further investigated in terms of the relationship between ASD and OCD.