Obsessive-compulsive symptom profiles vary by index trauma type in a trauma-exposed community sample

Abstract

Trauma exposure has been associated with the development or worsening of obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptoms and predicts poorer response to treatment for OCD. Although several studies have examined the relationship between OC symptoms and trauma, extant research is limited by a dearth of studies considering both OC symptom dimensions and trauma type, and by a static conceptualization of OC symptoms. Because most individuals experience OC symptoms across dimensions, profiles of OC symptoms would better reflect the dynamic presentation of OC symptoms following trauma exposure. Accordingly, the aim of the present study was to replicate and extend prior work by examining both between-group and within-group how the presentation of OC symptom dimensions varies across several trauma types in a large sample of adults with a history of trauma exposure (N = 329). Participants were grouped based on the nature of their index trauma and a profile analysis was performed. Significant between-group differences provided evidence that certain types of traumatic events have unique associations with particular OC symptom dimensions. Moreover, unique profiles of OC symptoms characterize survivors of different trauma types, a conceptualization that provides nuance for how survivors present in the real world. Study limitations and implications are discussed.