Gender differences in obsessive-compulsive disorder: Findings from a multicentric study from India

•One of the largest studies to report gender differences among adult OCD patients.•Differences found in symptom dimensions (checking, hoarding) comorbidities (agoraphobia, substance use disorders).•Gender differences possibly diminish with an adult onset of illness, vis-à-vis a childhood or adolesce...

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Published in:Asian journal of psychiatry 2018-10, Vol.37, p.3-9
Main Authors: Tripathi, Adarsh, Avasthi, Ajit, Grover, Sandeep, Sharma, Eesha, Lakdawala, Bhaveshkumar M., Thirunavukarasu, M., Dan, Amitava, Sinha, Vishal, Sareen, Himanshu, Mishra, Kshirod K., Rastogi, Pali, Srivastava, Shruti, Dhingra, Isha, Behere, Prakash B., Solanki, R.K., Sinha, Vinod K., Desai, Mahesh, Reddy, Y.C. Janardhan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Comorbidity
Gender
Obsessive-compulsive disorder
Regression analysis
Symptom dimensions
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Summary:•One of the largest studies to report gender differences among adult OCD patients.•Differences found in symptom dimensions (checking, hoarding) comorbidities (agoraphobia, substance use disorders).•Gender differences possibly diminish with an adult onset of illness, vis-à-vis a childhood or adolescent onset. Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is phenotypically heterogeneous. Gender is an important factor mediating this heterogeneity. We examined gender differences in a large sample (n = 945) of OCD patients under a multi-centric study in India. Cross-sectional assessments were done on consecutive adult (>18 years) treatment-seeking patients with a DSM-5 diagnosis of OCD. Subjects were assessed on Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5-Research Version for comorbid psychiatric illnesses, Yale Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale for OCD phenomenology and symptom severity, Brown Assessment of Beliefs Scale for insight, Beck’s Depression Inventory for severity of depressive symptoms, and the Obsessive Beliefs Questionnaire. On multivariate backward Wald logistic regression analysis, males (59.7%) had more years of education, had a higher rate of checking compulsions and comorbid substance use disorders. Women were more likely to be married, more commonly reported precipitating factors, had a higher rate of hoarding compulsions and comorbid agoraphobia. Findings from this large study validate gender as an important mediator of phenotypic heterogeneity in OCD. The mechanistic basis for these differences might involve complex interactions between biological, cultural and environmental factors.
ISSN:1876-2018
1876-2026
DOI:10.1016/j.ajp.2018.07.022