Abstract:
Background: Obsessive compulsive symptoms are mental health conditions marked by the
presence of obsessions and/or compulsions. The co-existence of obsessive-compulsive
symptoms among individuals with schizophrenia poses various clinical impacts in the
diagnosis and management of schizophrenia. No published work was available in Ethiopia
till the finalization of this study to the effort of the investigator’s search.
Objective: To assess the magnitude and associated factors of obsessive-compulsive
symptoms among people with schizophrenia attending services at Referral Hospitals of
Eastern Ethiopia from February 15 to March 15, 2024.
Methods: Multi-centred, Institutional-based, cross-sectional study was conducted among
adults with schizophrenia. Systematic sampling was used to pick 422 study participants.
Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale was used to assess Obsessive-Compulsive
Symptoms. Data entry and analysis were done by EpiData 4.6 and STATA 14 respectively.
Bi-variable and multi-variable logistic regression were used to evaluate the association
between independent and the outcome variable. Variables with p-value<0.05 were taken as
statistically significant with adjusted odds ratio and 95% confidence interval.
Results: The prevalence of obsessive-compulsive symptoms in this study was 44.07%. After
adjusting for possible confounders, duration of schizophrenia from 3-4 years (AOR=3.41;
95% Cl, 1.28-9.05), duration of schizophrenia 5 years and above (AOR =6.07; 95% Cl, 2.26
16.31), current use of alcohol (AOR=2.12; 95% Cl, 1.09-4.12), current use of khat
(AOR=6.09; 95% Cl, 3.15-11.74), being probable case of anxiety (AOR=3.57; 95% Cl, 1.95
6.53), being probable case of depression (AOR=4.55; 95% Cl, 2.39-8.66), being on
Risperidone (AOR=5.08; 95% Cl, 2.52-10.23) and being on Olanzapine (AOR=5.95; 95%
Cl, 2.72-13.04) were significantly associated with obsessive-compulsive symptoms.
Conclusion: The prevalence of obsessive-compulsive symptoms was reasonably high. Three
years and above duration of schizophrenia, current use of alcohol, current use of khat, having
anxiety, having depression, taking Risperidone and taking Olanzapine were significantly
associated with obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Timely detection and appropriate
interventions are better to be given to those with chronic schizophrenia, co-morbid substance
use, co-morbid anxiety and depression as well as taking second-generation antipsychotics.
