Background: The COVID-19 pandemic could be considered a 'symptom provocation test,' which may trigger specific OCD and other psychiatric symptoms. Therefore, we aimed to compare the long-term impact of the pandemic on fear of COVID-19, and contamination, depressive and anxiety symptoms in three groups: individuals with OCD with and without pre-pandemic contamination symptoms and healthy controls. Methods: From April 2020 to February 2022, we administered 16 online questionnaires on 138 persons with a lifetime diagnosis of OCD and 373 healthy controls. We evaluated outcomes related to fear of COVID-19, cleaning obsessions and compulsions, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. Using mixed models, we compared the trajectories among persons with OCD who had pre-pandemic contamination symptoms, those without such symptoms, and healthy controls. Results: Pre-pandemic contamination symptoms were significantly associated with higher fear of COVID-19, contamination symptoms, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. Persons with OCD without pre-pandemic contamination symptoms scored, on average, quite similarly to healthy controls. Conclusions: Only in persons with pre-pandemic contamination symptoms did the pandemic provoke more fear of COVID-19 and contamination symptoms than in controls. It seems that stress caused by external factors, does not tri trigger OCD symptoms unless there is a connection to the subtype of OCD.
COVID online data collection and analyses were partly funded by a ‘fast track grant’ from the Dutch Research Council (grant no 440.20.009) and by the RESPOND project which has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme Societal Challenges under grant agreement No 101016127. The infrastructure for the NESDA study is funded through the Geestkracht programme of the Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development (grant no 10-000-1002) and financial contributions by participating universities and mental health-care organisations (VU University Medical Center, Geestelijke Gezondheidszorg (GGZ) inGeest, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden University, GGZ Rivierduinen, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Lentis, GGZ Friesland, GGZ Drenthe, Rob Giel Onderzoekscentrum). The infrastructure for the NESDO study is funded through the Fonds NutsOhra (project 0701–065), Stichting tot Steun VCVGZ, NARSAD The Brain and Behavior Research Fund (grant id 41080), and by participating universities and mental health-care organisations (VU University Medical Center, Leiden University Medical Center, University Medical Center Groningen, University Medical Center St Radboud, GGZ inGeest, GGNet, GGZ Nijmegen, GGZ Rivierduinen, Lentis, and Parnassia). The infrastructure for the NOCDA study is funded by participating universities and mental health-care organisations (Academic Department VU Medical Center, GGZ inGeest, Innova Research Center, Mental Health Care Institute GGZ Centraal, Marina de Wolf Anxiety Research Center, Center for Anxiety Disorders Overwaal, Dimence, GGZ Overijssel, Department of Psychiatry at Leiden University Medical Center, Vincent van Gogh Institute Mental Health Care Center, Academic Anxiety Center, PsyQ Maastricht University, Division Mental Health and Neuroscience, and Stichting tot Steun VCVGZ).
COVID online data collection and analyses were partly funded by a ‘fast track grant’ from the Dutch Research Council (grant no 440.20.009) and by the RESPOND project which has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme Societal Challenges under grant agreement No 101016127. The infrastructure for the NESDA study is funded through the Geestkracht programme of the Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development (grant no 10-000-1002) and financial contributions by participating universities and mental health-care organisations (VU University Medical Center, Geestelijke Gezondheidszorg (GGZ) inGeest, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden University, GGZ Rivierduinen, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Lentis, GGZ Friesland, GGZ Drenthe, Rob Giel Onderzoekscentrum). The infrastructure for the NESDO study is funded through the Fonds NutsOhra (project 0701-065), Stichting tot Steun VCVGZ, NARSAD The Brain and Behaviour Research Fund (grant id 41080), and by participating universities and mental health-care organisations (VU University Medical Center, Leiden University Medical Center, University Medical Center Groningen, University Medical Center St Radboud, GGZ inGeest, GGNet, GGZ Nijmegen, GGZ Rivierduinen, Lentis, and Parnassia). The infrastructure for the NOCDA study is funded by participating universities and mental health-care organisations (Academic Department VU Medical Center, GGZ inGeest, Innova Research Centre, Mental Health Care Institute GGZ Centraal, Marina de Wolf Anxiety Research Centre, Center for Anxiety Disorders Overwaal, Dimence, GGZ Overijssel, Department of Psychiatry at Leiden University Medical Center, Vincent van Gogh Institute Mental Health Care Centre, Academic Anxiety Center, PsyQ Maastricht University, Division Mental Health and Neuroscience, and Stichting tot Steun VCVGZ).