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Cited by 68Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum DisordersPsychoanalysis and Psychopathology ResearchPosttraumatic Stress Disorder Research

Traumatic events and obsessive compulsive disorder in children and adolescents: is there a link?

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Lafleur, Daniel L., Petty, Carter, Mancuso, Elizabeth, McCarthy, Katherine, Biederman, Joseph, Faro, Alyssa, Levy, Hannah C., Geller, Daniel A.·2011·Journal of Anxiety Disorders
DOI 10.1016/j.janxdis.2010.12.005PMC PMC3074033
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Abstract

Background The extant literature supports an association between psychological trauma and development of OCD in adults, and this link is a plausible mediator for environment-gene interactions leading to phenotypic expression of OCD.Objective To explore the relationship between OCD and traumatic life events in children and adolescents.Methods We examined the prevalence of traumatic life events and PTSD in a large sample of systematically assessed children with OCD. OCD symptoms and severity were assessed using the Children's Yale Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (CY-BOCS) in those with and without concurrent PTSD.Results Rate of PTSD and trauma exposure was higher in children with OCD than in a comparable control group of non-OCD youth matched for age, gender and SES. Children with concurrent PTSD had more intrusive fears and distress and less control over their rituals than children with OCD but without PTSD. Total CY-BOCS scores were higher in those with concurrent PTSD. Specific type of OCD symptoms was not altered by a PTSD diagnosis.Conclusions A history of psychologically traumatic events may be over-represented in children with OCD. Given the need to search for non-genetic factors that may lead to onset of OCD, better and more systematic methods to obtain and quantify psychologically traumatic life events are needed in clinical populations.

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  • The few adolescent studies on trauma history and obsessive-compulsive symptoms focused on comorbid OCD and PTSD rather than trauma history itself.

    “The few studies that have examined trauma history and OC symptoms in adolescents have focused on comorbid OCD and PTSD symptoms rather than history of trauma specifically (Essau et al., 2000; Lafleur et al., 2011).”

    From Effects of traumatic experiences on obsessive-compulsive and internalizing symptoms: The role of avoidance and mindfulness. (2018) · cites this paper as Lafleur et al., 2011

    The Introduction describes an adolescent study focused on OCD–PTSD comorbidity, but it says Lafleur et al. also set out to examine trauma history in children with OCD. The Results report trauma without PTSD separately, and the Conclusions discuss the higher rate of psychological trauma in children with OCD. Thus this source does not support the claim that the studies focused on comorbidity rather than trauma history itself. (LLM, conf=0.88)

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Authors
Lafleur, D. L., Petty, C., Mancuso, E., McCarthy, K., Biederman, J., Faro, A., Levy, H. C., & Geller, D. A.
Affiliations
  • BC Children's Hospital (CA)
  • Massachusetts General Hospital (US)
  • Harvard University (US)
  • Concordia University (CA)
ORCID
Venue
Journal of Anxiety Disorders
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2011-05
Volume
25
Issue
4
Pages
513-519
ISSN
0887-6185 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.janxdis.2010.12.005
PMC
PMC3074033
OpenAlex
W2020463921
Cited by
68
References
46
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 6 · 2013: 3 · 2012: 4
FWCI
3.17
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Journal of Anxiety Disorders (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
National Institute of Mental Health (K08 MH0148, K08MH001481)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychoanalysis and Psychopathology Research
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research
Keywords
obsessive-compulsive disorder, childhood OCD, adolescents, traumatic life events, psychological trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder, trauma exposure, OCD severity
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Child, Female, Humans, Life Change Events, Male, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, Severity of Illness Index, Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic, Prevalence, Odds Ratio

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