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OCD may hinder performance, success in school

Individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder performed poorer in school and were less likely to finish upper secondary education, start or finish a university degree and finish a postgraduate degree, particularly if they were diagnosed before age 18 years.

“One-third of patients with OCD develop the disorder before age 15 years, and about 50% report onset in childhood and adolescence. Clinical experience suggests that OCD might be negatively associated with the person’s education, not only in childhood and adolescence, but also in early adulthood. However, this topic has rarely been empirically investigated,” Ana Pérez-Vigil, MD, of Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, and colleagues wrote.

To assess associations between OCD and educational outcomes, researchers analyzed a population-based birth cohort of 2,115,554 individuals born in Sweden from 1976 through 1998 and followed up through 2013. Of these, 15,120 were diagnosed with OCD.

Participants with OCD were significantly less likely to pass all core and additional courses at the end of compulsory school (adjusted OR = 0.35-0.6) and to enroll in a vocational (aOR = 0.47; 95% CI, 0.45-0.5) or academic (aOR = 0.61; 95% CI, 0.58-0.63) program in upper secondary education.

Participants with OCD were less likely to finish upper secondary education (aOR = 0.43; 95% CI, 0.41-0.44), start a university degree (aOR = 0.72; 95% CI, 0.69-0.75), complete a university degree (aOR = 0.59; 95%CI, 0.56-0.62), and finish postgraduate education (aOR = 0.52; 95% CI, 0.36-0.77).

Findings in sibling comparison models were similar.

Educational attainment was worse across all levels among participants diagnosed with OCD before age 18 years.

Excluding patients with comorbid neuropsychiatric disorders, psychotic, anxiety, mood, substance use and other psychiatric disorders attenuated estimates; however, those with OCD still exhibited impairment across all educational outcomes.

“Obsessive-compulsive disorder, particularly when it has an early age at onset, is associated with pervasive and profound decreases in educational attainment across all levels, spanning from compulsory school to postgraduate education,” the researchers concluded. – by Amanda Oldt

Disclosures: Pérez-Vigil reports no relevant financial disclosures. Please see the study for all other authors’ relevant financial disclosures.