How Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms Correlate with other Symptoms and Quality of Life in Schizophrenia? A Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND: Early psychiatrists inferred that obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS) represent a defense against psychosis and prevent the progression of schizophrenia. However, recent clinical research has yielded inconsistent results across studies regarding the link between OCS and the symptom domains of schizophrenia and the influence OCS have on a patient’s functioning and quality of life (QOL). This study aimed to determine whether OCS has any association with the symptom severity, functioning, and QOL of schizophrenia patients. METHODS: This cross-sectional study done in a tertiary care hospital consecutively recruited 85 outpatients of schizophrenia in clinical remission over one year. Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS), WHO Quality of Life Brief Version (WHO QOL-BREF), and Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scales were applied. RESULTS: Eighteen patients (21.2%) had OCS (Y-BOCS score of ≥8). Patients with OCS had higher PANSS scores (mean±SD of total score 77.16± 16.4, P < 0.001), suggestive of more severe psychosis, poor functioning overall (mean GAF score 37.35 ± 15.62, P < 0.001), and poor QOL in the psychological domain (P < 0.001). In addition, significant associations were present between the Y-BOCS score and the PANSS (r = 0.65), GAF (r = –0.61), and WHO QOL BREF scores in the physical (r = –0.39), and psychological domains (r = –0.41) (P < 0.001 on all of the above). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with OCS have more severe symptoms and a lower QOL. A significant association exists between the intensity of OCS and schizophrenia symptoms, global functioning, and QOL.