Clinical presentation of comorbid obsessive-compulsive disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder in Latin American individuals

Comorbid obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with more a severe overall clinical presentation compared to OCD without PTSD. However, existing research has largely focused on White, non-Hispanic/Latino populations, limiting generalizability of this complex comorbidity to diverse ethnic groups. Using data collected from the multisite Latin American Trans-ancestry INitiative for OCD genomics (LATINO) study, this study sought to replicate and extend previous findings regarding the clinical presentation associated with comorbid OCD and PTSD (OCD + PTSD). Differences in OCD severity, OCD symptom dimensions, OCD-related insight, avoidance, pathological doubt, and quality of life were compared across 1995 Latin American adults (M age = 31.54) with OCD alone (31.6%), OCD with other comorbidities (54.6%), and OCD + PTSD (13.8%), and psychiatric comorbidities were compared between participants with OCD + PTSD and OCD with other comorbidities. Replicating and extending prior research, individuals with OCD + PTSD had more severe clinical presentations across all domains, with the largest effect size found for quality of life. Consistent with previous research, these findings indicate that the presence of PTSD is associated with worse OCD clinical severity among Latin Americans, underscoring the necessity for comprehensive assessment strategies and integrated treatment approaches.