Analysis of the Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Perinatal Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms in Elderly Parturients.

Aims/Background Perinatal obsessive-compulsive symptoms are significant predictors of increased postpartum anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder. These symptoms have persistent adverse effects on both mothers and children. Currently, there are few reports in the literature on obsessive-compulsive disorder in elderly parturient women in China. This study primarily discusses the clinical characteristics of perinatal obsessive-compulsive symptoms in elderly parturient women and analyzes their influencing factors, aiming to provide references for clinical prevention and treatment. Methods This research employed a cross-sectional design, utilizing a convenience sampling method to select elderly parturients who delivered at Panjin Central Hospital from September 2022 to August 2023. The assessment instruments included a general data questionnaire, the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS), the self-rating anxiety scale (SAS), the edinburgh postpartum depression scale (EPDS), and the sense of coherence scale (SOC-13). The relationship between the severity of obsessive-compulsive symptoms and negative emotions and psychological burden was examined through Pearson correlation analysis. Additionally, the influencing factors of perinatal obsessive-compulsive symptoms were analyzed using multivariate logistic regression. Results In this study, a total of 124 questionnaires were distributed, and 122 valid questionnaires were recovered, yielding an effective recovery rate of 98.39%. Among the 122 elderly parturients, 37 were positive for perinatal obsessive-compulsive disorder, accounting for 30.33% (37/122). Among the 37 elderly parturients with perinatal obsessive-compulsive symptoms, 64.86% had both obsessive-compulsive thoughts and behaviors, 21.62% had obsessive-compulsive thoughts as the main symptom (8/37), and 13.51% had obsessive-compulsive behaviors (5/37). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that pregnancy history, pregnancy complications, fetal health, SOC-13 score, SAS score, and EPDS score were independent risk factors for positive perinatal obsessive-compulsive symptoms (p < 0.05). Conclusion The incidence of perinatal obsessive-compulsive symptoms in elderly parturient women is high. Obsessive-compulsive thoughts primarily involve fears of injury and contamination, while obsessive-compulsive behaviors mainly consist of compulsive checking and cleaning. The occurrence of perinatal obsessive-compulsive disorder is associated with factors such as pregnancy and childbirth history, pregnancy complications, fetal health, negative emotions, and stress resistance.