The Parma High School Epidemiological Survey: obsessive-compulsive symptoms.

Objective: This study was undertaken to assess the prevalence of obsessive-compulsive symptoms in a population of Italian adolescents. Method: A sample of 2877 high-school students, 1463 males (51%) and 1414 females (49%), aged 16–21 years were assessed with the Leyton Obsessional Inventory — Child Version (LOI-CV). Two groups of subjects were defined as ‘positive’ on the screen: the high interference (HI) (i.e. all subjects who scored 25 or more in the interference score), and the supernormals (Sn). Results: Females scored higher than males both on yes and interference scores. One hundred and nineteen (4.1%) and 87 (3.0%) constitute, respectively, the HI and the Sn groups. The most interfering symptoms were obsessions linked to dirt phobia, rumination and nail biting. Conclusion: The prevalence estimates of OCD symptoms confirmed the recent data of the literature that adolescent OCD symptoms are more frequent than was believed previously. Females showed more symptoms and more interference on personal functioning than males.