Religious Obsessive Compulsive Disorder tendency: A comparative study on university students

Introduction: Various psychopathologies from past to present have affected people's lives. One of them is religious OCD, a subtype of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Religious OCD is a psychopathology that reduces people's quality of religious life and interrupts their positive relationships with religion. Subject: Religious OCD tendency among students studying at the Faculty of Theology/Islamic Sciences, Medicine, Health Sciences and Educational Sciences in Canakkale and Istanbul provinces is the subject of the study. Purpose and Significance: The aims of the study are to determine the relationship between OCD and religious OCD tendency with some sociodemographic variables; to determine the relationship between religious obsession tendency and the place where religious knowledge is acquired and self-assessment in terms of religious belief, and whether there is a relationship between OCD and religious OCD and child-rearing styles. Considering that individuals with religious OCD are diagnosed late because they mostly hide their symptoms and this psychopathology starts in their twenties, this study is thought to be important in revealing the religious OCD tendency in the young sample who are not diagnosed with religious OCD. Method: In this quantitative study, the data were calculated in the 2020-2021 academic year; It was collected with a questionnaire form submitted to the online participation of university students studying at the faculties of Medicine, Health Sciences, Educational Sciences and Theology/Islamic Sciences. The data were analyzed using the SPSS 25.0 program. Sociodemographic information form, OCD tendency scale (BOCS), Penn religious obsessions scale (PIOS) and religious OCD tendency scale are data collection tools that used in the research. Results: A significant difference was found between the gender of the participants and their religious obsession tendencies. A significant relationship was found between the university fields of the participants and their OCD tendency and religious obsession tendencies. A significant relationship was found between the place where the participants acquired their religious knowledge and their religious obsession tendencies. A significant relationship was found between the participants evaluation of themselves in terms of religious belief and OCD and Religious OCD tendencies. There was no significant relationship between the OCD tendency scale, the Penn Religious Obsessions scale and the Religious OCD tendency scale according to the parent's parenting style.