The relationship of obsessions and compulsions with aggression in patients with obsessive compulsive disorder

Abstract

Background: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a psychiatric disorder that is frequently encountered in the clinic and affects the functionality of patients significantly. Patients with higher levels of aggression have lower treatment compliance and recovery rates for their current mental illnesses. In our study, the relationships between OCD and its subtypes and aggression were examined.

Subjects and Methods: A total of 87 patients with OCD were included in the study. Yale–Brown Obsessive–Compulsive Scale (Y–BOCS) and Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ) were applied to the patients. Results: In this study, the relationship between Obsession subtypes and aggression total and subtypes was evaluated. Hostility (p=0.004), anger (p=0.034), verbal aggression (p=0.002) and total aggression scores (p=0.017) were significantly higher in patients with aggression obsessions. Hostility (p=0.021) and aggression total scores (p=0.043) were significantly higher in patients with contamination obsession. Anger total scores of patients with hoarding obsessions (p=0.025) and symmetry obsessions (p=0.023) were found to be significantly higher. Anger levels of patients with counting compulsions (p= 0.038) were significantly higher. Anger levels (p= 0.047) and verbal aggression levels (p= 0.018) were significantly higher in patients with hoarding compulsion. A positive and significant correlation was found between the levels of total obsession score and total aggression scores (p=0.038 r= 0.222). However there was no significant correlation between the total compulsion score and the total aggression score.

Conclusion: The coexistence of aggression and OCD is one of the less studied issues in the literature. Aggression is a factor that affects the treatment process of patients negatively. In our study, a significant relationship was found especially between obsession and aggression.