Association Between Paraphilic And Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms In Women

Objective: DSM-5 differentiated paraphilias from paraphilic disorders (PD), making the boundaries among paraphilic fantasies, paraphilias and PD more precise. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between paraphilic and obsessive symptoms using DSM-5 criteria for paraphilias and PD.

Methods: One hundred and ninety female medical students were evaluated using anonymous / self-reporting questionnaires. For symptoms of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), the Yale-Brown scale was used. For symptoms of Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD) and paraphilias, scales based on DSM-5 were used.

Results: The most paraphilic fantasies were: Voyeurism (30.2%) and Fetishism (25.4%). The most frequent paraphilias were: Voyeurism (9%) and Fetishism (8.5%). In relation to PD, the most frequent were: Voyeuristic (6.9%), Masochistic (3.7%) and Frotteuristic (3.7%). Subclinical OCD was statistically significant when associated with paraphilic fantasies, while OCD was associated with paraphilia and PD. OCPD was statistically significant when associated with fantasies, paraphilia and PD.

Conclusion: The intensity of OCD symptoms was directly related to the intensity of the paraphilic symptoms and the OCPD was associated with paraphilic fantasies, paraphilias and PD. The results point to trends of association among these clinical conditions, which recommends further research in this direction.