Prevalence of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder among Medical Students at Taibah University, Saudi Arabia

Background: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a prevalent mental disorder. It has an onset during the late teens, thus putting university students at higher risk as a target group. They live in an environment that is full of stressors and factors that may lead to the expression of obsessive compulsion symptoms. The objective of the present research is to explore the prevalence of OCD and its associated symptoms among medical students.

Materials and Methods: Cross-sectional analytic research at Taibah University in which medical students participated during a year period from December 2021 to 2022. Data collection was through an online self-administered questionnaire with 18 questions on the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised scale (OCI-R) filled out anonymously as well as voluntarily.

Results: According to the OCI-R used in the study, 69 out of 263 (26%) participants are found to have probable OCD. There was a statistically significant association between participants who reported a history of mental illness and the probability of OCD [p=0.002]. Also, age groups showed statistically significant differences [p=0.007] as well as between academic years [p=0.003], with an increase in the probability of OCD with younger age and early academic years

Conclusions: This current study has shown a high OCD prevalence among medical students at Taibah University, consistent with other similar studies. There were significant correlations with age, academic year, and history of mental illnesses, especially depression and anxiety.