Predicting the Severity of Obsessive-compulsive Symptoms Based on Traumatic Childhood Experiences: The Mediating Role of Self-criticism

The present study was conducted to predict obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS) severity based on childhood traumatic experiences through the mediating role of self-criticism.

This descriptive correlation study was done using structural equation modeling. The statistical population included adults living in Mashhad in 2021, aged from 18 to 50 years with access to the Internet. Of these, 340 individuals were selected as a sample using the available method. Data were collected using the Yale-Brown obsessive scale (Y-BOCS), the childhood trauma questionnaire (CTQ), and the levels of self-criticism questionnaire LOCS. Data analysis was performed using the structural equation modeling method using SPSS software version 26 and AMOS software, version 24.

Results showed a significant correlation between childhood traumatic experiences (r=0.51) and self-criticism (r=0.57) with the severity of obsessive-compulsive symptoms (P<0.01). Also, the results of structural equation modeling showed that the model of the present study had an acceptable fitness and the mediating role of self-criticism in the relationship between childhood traumatic experiences and the severity of obsessive-compulsive symptoms (χ2/df≤3) was significant (0.001).

Based on the findings of this study, traumatic childhood experiences are able to predict and affect the severity of obsessive-compulsive symptoms through interaction with self-criticism.