Prevalence of OCD symptoms in the UAE during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross- sectional study

Abstract Background: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a psychiatric disorder characterised by repetitive, undesirable thoughts or acts. During the COVID-19 pandemic, public health authorities worldwide urged people to take proper health measures. It is expected that such sudden change would cause excessive hygiene habits in people predisposed to OCD. Methods:This was a quantitative cross-sectional study that used an online survey platform to collect responses from UAE residents. The self-administered questionnaire collected a total of 343 responses from participants fitting the inclusion criteria. Their scores were evaluated based on the Y-BOCS criteria scale. People who have been previously diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder were excluded from this study. Results:The study included 99 males, and 244 females. A significant correlation was found between the Emirate of residence and the severity of OCD-like-symptoms (P= 0.042). The results showed that the emirate with most frequent OCD symptoms is Dubai, with 54.5% displaying mild, moderate, and severe/ extreme symptoms. Female to male distribution showed higher trend of females displaying OCD symptoms although this was not statistically significant. Level of education, occupation and age had no statistically significant role in the exhibition of the symptoms. Conclusion: The symptoms of potential clinical significance of OCD are high, especially in females compared to the global prevalence studies prior to COVID-19, although a within-subject comparison is not possible. The results need to be interpreted with caution given that the study sample may not represent the population of the UAE, especially given the online questionnaire used limiting access to certain resident groups in the country. Further research is warranted to investigate the long-term effect of COVID-19 on OCD-like and other neuropsychiatric symptoms and elucidate possible mechanisms.