TY - JOUR
T1 - The role of gender in a large international OCD sample
T2 - A Report from the International College of Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders (ICOCS) Network
AU - Benatti, Beatrice
AU - Girone, Nicolaja
AU - Celebre, Laura
AU - Vismara, Matteo
AU - Hollander, Eric
AU - Fineberg, Naomi A.
AU - Stein, Dan J.
AU - Nicolini, Humberto
AU - Lanzagorta, Nuria
AU - Marazziti, Donatella
AU - Pallanti, Stefano
AU - van Ameringen, Michael
AU - Lochner, Christine
AU - Karamustafalioglu, Oguz
AU - Hranov, Luchezar
AU - Figee, Martin
AU - Drummond, Lynne M.
AU - Grant, Jon E.
AU - Denys, Damiaan
AU - Fontenelle, Leonardo F.
AU - Menchon, Jose M.
AU - Zohar, Joseph
AU - Rodriguez, Carolyn I.
AU - Dell'Osso, Bernardo
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Authors
PY - 2022/7
Y1 - 2022/7
N2 - Introduction: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is characterized by a range of phenotypic expressions. Gender may be a relevant factor in mediating the disorder's heterogeneity. The aim of the present report was to explore a large multisite clinical sample of OCD patients, hypothesizing existing demographic, geographical and clinical differences between male and female patients with OCD. Methods: Socio-demographic and clinical variables of 491 adult OCD outpatients recruited in the International College of Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders (ICOCS) network were investigated with a retrospective analysis on a previously gathered set of data from eleven countries worldwide. Patients were assessed through structured clinical interviews, the Yale- Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS), the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and the Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS). Results: Among females, adult onset (>18 years old) was significantly over-represented (67% vs. 33%, p < 0.005), and females showed a significantly older age at illness onset compared with males (20.85 ± 10.76 vs. 17.71 ± 8.96 years, p < 0.005). Females also had a significantly lower education level than males (13.09 ± 4.02 vs. 13.98 ± 3.85 years; p < 0.05), a significantly higher rate of being married (50.8% vs. 33.5%; p < 0.001) and a higher rate of living with a partner (47.5% vs. 37.6%; p < 0.001) than males. Nonetheless, no significant gender differences emerged in terms of the severity of OCD symptoms nor in the severity of comorbid depressive symptoms. No predictive effect of gender was found for Y-BOCS, MADRS and SDS severity. Discussion/Conclusions.: Our findings showed significant differences between genders in OCD. A sexually dimorphic pattern of genetic susceptibility may have a crucial role to OCD clinical heterogeneity, potentially requiring different specific therapeutic strategies. Further research is warranted to validate gender as an important determinant of the heterogeneity in OCD.
AB - Introduction: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is characterized by a range of phenotypic expressions. Gender may be a relevant factor in mediating the disorder's heterogeneity. The aim of the present report was to explore a large multisite clinical sample of OCD patients, hypothesizing existing demographic, geographical and clinical differences between male and female patients with OCD. Methods: Socio-demographic and clinical variables of 491 adult OCD outpatients recruited in the International College of Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders (ICOCS) network were investigated with a retrospective analysis on a previously gathered set of data from eleven countries worldwide. Patients were assessed through structured clinical interviews, the Yale- Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS), the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and the Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS). Results: Among females, adult onset (>18 years old) was significantly over-represented (67% vs. 33%, p < 0.005), and females showed a significantly older age at illness onset compared with males (20.85 ± 10.76 vs. 17.71 ± 8.96 years, p < 0.005). Females also had a significantly lower education level than males (13.09 ± 4.02 vs. 13.98 ± 3.85 years; p < 0.05), a significantly higher rate of being married (50.8% vs. 33.5%; p < 0.001) and a higher rate of living with a partner (47.5% vs. 37.6%; p < 0.001) than males. Nonetheless, no significant gender differences emerged in terms of the severity of OCD symptoms nor in the severity of comorbid depressive symptoms. No predictive effect of gender was found for Y-BOCS, MADRS and SDS severity. Discussion/Conclusions.: Our findings showed significant differences between genders in OCD. A sexually dimorphic pattern of genetic susceptibility may have a crucial role to OCD clinical heterogeneity, potentially requiring different specific therapeutic strategies. Further research is warranted to validate gender as an important determinant of the heterogeneity in OCD.
KW - Age at onset
KW - Education
KW - Gender differences
KW - OCD
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85129284264&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.comppsych.2022.152315
DO - 10.1016/j.comppsych.2022.152315
M3 - Article
C2 - 35483201
AN - SCOPUS:85129284264
SN - 0010-440X
VL - 116
JO - Comprehensive Psychiatry
JF - Comprehensive Psychiatry
M1 - 152315
ER -