Functional impairment in clinical samples of Norwegian and Swedish children and adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorder

The aims of the present study were to examine OCD-related impairments in clinical cases of childhood OCD and to replicate and extend previous research on OCD-related impairments. Methods Sixty-eight patients aged 8-17 years recruited from four child psychiatric outpatient clinics in Norway and Sweden with a confirmed DSM-IV diagnosis of OCD were included in the study. All patients and their parents were interviewed for diagnosis and comorbidity (KSADS),OCD symptoms and severity (CY-BOCS), and global impairment (CGAS). OCD-specific impairments were assessed by means of the Child OCD Impact Scale (COIS), a 58 item questionnaire with parallel parent and child versions. Results Overall, the majority of patients suffered from substantial impairments. The impact of OCD symptoms was found to be most severe at home, but impairments were also prominent in situations related to school and social settings. Conclusions Our study supports findings of previous research suggesting multiple impacts of OCD symptoms on childrens psychosocial functioning. We conclude that impairment issues should be further addressed in future research to establish a better empirical basis for the understanding of different aspects of OCD-related impairment.