The effect of trauma on the severity of obsessive-compulsive spectrum symptoms: A meta-analysis

•Past trauma and current Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum (OCS) symptoms were examined.•Past trauma is associated with more severe OCS symptoms, particularly compulsions.•The relation between trauma and OCS symptom severity is stronger for females.•Multiple types of interpersonal trauma are associated with OCS symptom severity.

It is important to consider trauma-related sequelae in the etiology and maintenance of psychopathology, namely understudied disorders such as those belonging to the Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum (OCS). This meta-analysis examined the association between past trauma exposure and current severity of OCS disorder symptoms. A systematic literature search was conducted with 24 (N = 4557) articles meeting inclusion criteria. A significant overall effect size was obtained (r = 0.20), indicating that exposure to past trauma is associated with a higher severity of OCS symptoms, with a stronger association for females (β = 0.01, p < .001) but not varying as a function of relationship status. Four types of interpersonal trauma (violence, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect) were associated with OCS symptom severity (r = 0.19 −0.24) and past trauma was significantly associated with more severe compulsions (r = 0.17), but not obsessions. Results suggest an important link between multiple types of past trauma exposure and OCS symptoms.