Cognitive and stress vulnerabilities towards obsessive-compulsive disorder amongst British, Iranian and Lithuanian adolescents

Development and maintenance of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is closely associated with dysfunctional beliefs. Cognitive vulnerability to obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptoms may differ across cultures. The study examined the interrelationships between obsessive-compulsive symptoms, obsessional beliefs and stress, and compared the level of OCD symptom presentation among adolescents in Iran, Lithuania and the UK. A non-clinical sample of 165 adolescents (59 in Iran, 55 in Lithuania and 51 in the UK) between ages of 15 and 18 years were investigated. The questionnaires included the Hassle Scale for Children, the Obsessive Beliefs Questionnaire and the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory. Findings demonstrated a positive correlation between OC symptoms and beliefs, while daily stress measures showed no significant contribution to the level of symptom presentation. Obsessive-compulsive-related differences were apparent among this culturally unique adolescent sample, where Iranian scores showed comparatively higher vulnerability towards the OCD than British and Lithuanian adolescents. Findings of this study demonstrate the importance of cross-cultural variations in obsessive-compulsive symptoms and highlighted vulnerability factors to OCD phenomena.