An epidemiological study of obsessive-compulsive disorder among high school students and its relationship with religious attitudes.

Background/objective: Considering the importance of mental health in adolescents, we studied the prevalence of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in this age group and determined its relationship with their religious attitudes.

Methods: In this survey, 293 students at different grades were selected using a multiphasic cluster sampling method. Subjects were asked to complete demographic, Yale-Brown scale, and religious attitude questionnaires. Those with scores higher than the cutoff value were interviewed by a psychiatrist, based on the DSM-IV criteria. Data were analyzed by chi2 and Student's t-test.

Results: The prevalence of OCD was 8.87% (5.1% in boys and 3.75% in girls). The majority of patients with OCD were from urban regions and had a positive family history in their first- or second-degree relatives. Nonetheless, there was no relationship between OCD and religious attitudes.

Conclusion: The prevalence of OCD found in our study was higher than many of those reported earlier. Religious attitudes could only affect the contents of obsession and compulsion.