• Deemah A Alateeq, Haneen N Almughera, Tharaa N Almughera, Raghad F Alfedeah, Taeef S Nasser, and Khozama A Alaraj.
• From the Clinical Sciences Department, College of Medicine, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
• Saudi Med J. 2021 Jul 1; 42 (7): 750-760.

ObjectivesTo explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the development of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms and its correlation with the level of perceived stress among the Saudi population.MethodsIn July 2020, a cross-sectional survey of 2909 participants in Saudi Arabia during the outbreak was conducted to collect data related to sociodemographic characteristics and scores on the Brief Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (BOCS) and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS).ResultsMost participants were female (73.9%) with a university level of education or higher (81%). The prevalence of new-onset obsessions was 57.8%, compulsions 45.9%, and moderate/high perceived stress 72.4%. New-onset dirt, germs, and virus obsessions were significantly higher among 40-49 age group, employees, housewives, students, quarantine discipliners, and those who spent 20 or more days in quarantine. New-onset hand-washing compulsions were significantly higher among the 30-49 age group. A significantly higher level of perceived stress was reported among those in the 18-29 age group, females, singles, participants with no children, students, non-smokers, those who were unemployed, living with families, diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder, living in the northern region, quarantine discipliners, and those who spent 60 or more days in quarantine.ConclusionThis study revealed a significantly higher prevalence of high perceived stress in respondents with new-onset OCD contamination symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. This implies that a biodisaster is associated with high psychological morbidity.Copyright: © Saudi Medical Journal.

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