Evaluation of patients diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder and healthy controls in terms of childhood trauma history, emotion regulation difficulties and self-esteem

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate patients diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder who applied to the psychiatry outpatient clinic and healthy controls in terms of childhood trauma history, emotion regulation difficulties and self-esteem. Materials and Methods: 50 patients diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder who applied to Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University Research and Practice Hospital Psychiatry outpatient clinic and 50 people without psychiatric illness were included in this study. Psychiatric comorbidities were determined by applying the structured clinical interview (SCID-5) for DSM V axis I disorders. Sociodemographic data form, Beck Depression Scale, Beck Anxiety Scale, Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, Yale Brown Obsession Compulsion Scale (YBOCS), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Childhood Trauma Questionnaire were applied to both groups and obtained data were compared. Results: CTQ-Total scores of individuals in the OCD diagnosed group were determined to be significantly higher than the scores of individuals in the healthy control group. A correlation was demonstrated between YBOCS total scores and CTQ-Total scores. DERS total scores of the individuals in the OCD diagnosed group were found to be significantly higher than the individuals in the healthy control group. A correlation was shown between YBOCS total scores and DERS total scores. RSE scores of individuals in the group diagnosed with OCD were found to be significantly higher than individuals in the healthy control group. A correlation was shown between YBOCS total scores and RSE scores. Conclusion: Significant differences were found in terms of childhood traumas, emotion regulation difficulties and self-esteem scale scores of individuals diagnosed with OCD compared to healthy controls. Childhood traumas were suggested to be linked with the diagnosis of OCD. History of trauma in childhood was demonstrated to be associated with difficulties in emotion regulation, and it was also demonstrated that difficulties in emotion regulation affect the OCD clinic and that individuals diagnosed with OCD have more difficulties in emotion regulation. While individuals diagnosed with OCD may have low self-esteem, it was suggested that low self-esteem may have an effect on obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Traumatic childhood experiences were demonstrated to be associated with low self-esteem. It may be useful to evaluate patients who are considered suitable in terms of interventions for trauma, emotion regulation and self-esteem when making a treatment plan in cases diagnosed with OCD.