Investigation of the Relationship between Childhood Trauma with Perfectionism and Cognitive Distortions in People with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Mitra  Rezaei; Reza  Bidaki

doi:10.18502/ssu.v34i2.21593

Mitra Rezaei Psychology Department, Faculty of Humanities, Islamic Azad University, Yazd Branch, Yazd, Iran.
Reza Bidaki Department of Psychiatry, Research Center of Addiction and Behavioral Sciences, Non-Communicable Diseases Research Institute, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/ssu.v34i2.21593

Keywords: Childhood trauma, Perfectionism, Cognitive distortions, obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Abstract

Introduction: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a disabling psychiatric disorder that can have a profoundly negative impact on an individual's life. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between childhood trauma, perfectionism, and cognitive distortions in individuals with OCD in 2023.

Methods: A total of 200 individuals diagnosed with OCD, confirmed by Neuropsychiatry Fellowship at the psychiatric clinic of Taft County and Imam Ali (AS) specialized and super-specialized clinic of Yazd City, were recruited using convenience sampling. Participants met DSM-5 criteria and completed the Maudsley Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory, the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), the Ahvaz Perfectionism Scale, and a cognitive distortions questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed using STATA 14 software.

Results: In this study, the correlation between childhood trauma and perfectionism was found to decrease in individuals with obsessions related to thoughts, contamination, and cleanliness. However, the correlation between childhood trauma and perfectionism was not significant in individuals with obsessions related to checking, order, and arrangement (p=0). Furthermore, the association between trauma scores and cognitive distortion scores was significant and inverse in individuals with obsessions related to thoughts, contamination, cleanliness, washing, and religiosity (p<0), meaning that individuals with these obsessions exhibited more cognitive distortions. This association was not significant in individuals with obsessions related to washing, religiosity, checking, and order (p=0).

Conclusion: Childhood trauma likely affects perfectionism and cognitive distortions in individuals with OCD. Therefore, it is recommended that mental health professionals specializing in OCD treatment consider the role of childhood trauma in perfectionism and cognitive distortions among individuals with OCD.