Childhood trauma, neurological soft signs, and their relationship in obsessive–compulsive disorder

Abstract

Objective: Neurodevelopmental mechanisms are thought to play a role in the etiology of obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD). Childhood traumas and neurological soft signs (NSSs) are more frequent in OCD patients. However, there has been no study that determined whether or not there is a relationship between childhood traumas and NSSs in OCD patients. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between childhood traumas and NSSs in OCD patients and healthy individuals. Method: The study included 40 OCD patients and 40 healthy controls. Linear regression analyses were used to investigate the relationship between childhood traumas and NSSs which was evaluated with Neurological Evaluation Scale (NES) in OCD patients and the healthy control group. Results: The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-28, Beck Depression Inventory, and Beck Anxiety Inventory scores were found to be higher in OCD patients. The NES total score, subscales of sensory integration, complex motor sequences, and other NSSs were significantly higher in OCD patients. In the OCD group, age and emotional abuse were determined as variables predicting motor coordination, and age and physical neglect predicted both sensory integration and complex motor sequences. In the healthy control group, age and emotional abuse were determined as variables predicting other NSSs, and physical neglect was determined as the only variable predicting primitive reflexes. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that childhood traumas may be related to neurodevelopmental impairment seen in OCD. The evaluation of NSSs could be another method to investigate the effects of childhood traumas on central nervous system development. The effects of childhood traumas should be considered in psychiatric disorders in which NSSs are severe.