Comparisons between obsessive-compulsive disorder and trichotillomania in terms of autistic traits and repetitive behaviors in adolescents
Nordic Journal of Psychiatry, vol.79, no.1, pp.34-41, 2025 (SCI-Expanded, SSCI, Scopus)
- Publication Type: Article / Article
- Volume: 79 Issue: 1
- Publication Date: 2025
- Doi Number: 10.1080/08039488.2024.2431116
- Journal Name: Nordic Journal of Psychiatry
- Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, Periodicals Index Online, MEDLINE, Psycinfo
- Page Numbers: pp.34-41
- Keywords: Adolescent, autistic traits, obsessive-compulsive disorder, repetitive behaviors, trichotillomania
- Dokuz Eylül University Affiliated: Yes
Abstract
Background: Our study aims to reveal the relationship between autistic traits and repetitive behaviors in adolescents diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder and trichotillomania and to compare them to healthy controls. Method: A total of 100 adolescents, 33 of whom were diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder, 32 of whom were diagnosed with trichotillomania and 35 healthy controls, aged 11-18 years, who applied to a Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Outpatient Clinic between February 2023 and July 2023, were included in the study. Participants were evaluated with the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ)-Adolescent, Repetitive Behavior Scale-Revised (RBS-R), Children’s Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (CY-BOCS), and Clinical Global Impression Scale-Severity (CGI-S). SPSS 25.0 program was used in the analysis. p < 0.05 was accepted as the significance level. Results: It was found that adolescents diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder and trichotillomania had higher autistic trait levels compared to healthy controls, while there was no significant difference between the obsessive-compulsive disorder and trichotillomania groups. While stereotypic, routine, sameness, and restricted repetitive behaviors were more common in the obsessive-compulsive disorder and trichotillomania groups as opposed to healthy controls, it was found that compulsive behavior was more common in the obsessive-compulsive disorder group, and self-injurious behavior was more common in the trichotillomania group compared to healthy controls. Conclusion: The findings of our study indicate that adolescents diagnosed with trichotillomania, similar to those with obsessive-compulsive disorder, have a higher level of autistic traits and repetitive behaviors. The authors believe it is crucial to focus on the social skill difficulties these adolescents may be experiencing.