the prevalence of obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms and the influential factors in covid-19 patients in kurdistan, iran

Background: among individuals with covid-19, fear of contamination and compulsive handwashing are recognized as common symptoms. this study was conducted with the aim to investigate the prevalence of obsessive-compulsive disorder (ocd) symptoms among covid-19 patients in kurdistan, iran, and identify potential influential factors. methods: this cross-sectional study was conducted on 1,434 covid-19 patients who were randomly selected from tohid hospital, a covid-19 treatment center in kurdistan province, between july and september 2021. data were collected using the electronic questionnaire for the 'maudsley obsessive-compulsive inventory (moci). the collected data were analyzed using chi-square test and logistic regression modeling in spss software. results: the study found that 35.8% of covid-19 patients experienced ocd symptoms, with men showing a higher prevalence than women (p < 0.001). patients with a lower education level were more likely to have ocd symptoms (p = 0.001). ocd symptoms were also more common among housewives or unemployed individuals (p = 0.002) and patients who paid more attention to their hygiene (p = 0.001). the study found no significant correlations between ocd symptoms and age, economic status, marital status, family history of covid-19, history of hospitalization, and having or not having children (p > 0.05). conclusion: this study indicates that the prevalence of ocd symptoms among covid-19 patients in kurdistan, iran is relatively high. therefore, clinicians should provide specialized care to patients to address their psychological well-being along with treating covid-19 symptoms.