Obsessive-compulsive symptoms among Immigrant and American Born Muslims (2016)

Undergraduates: Saima Akbar, Shannon Blakey

Faculty Advisor: Jonathan Abramowitz
Department: Psychology & Neuroscience

---

Rates of scrupulosity (OC symptoms related to beliefs about sin and/or morality) tend to be higher in Muslim-majority countries, even though OCD prevalence seems to be generally consistent across many countries. American Muslims (N = 32) participants completed an online self-report battery in order to expand knowledge about obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptom presentation in American Muslims in relation to other factors, such as immigration status, religiosity, and culture. There was no correlation between religiosity and scrupulosity, although there was a significant correlation between religious compulsions and OC symptoms but not religious identity or immigration status. Of the studied variables, general distress and religious compulsions emerged as a significant predictor of OC symptoms but not religious identity or immigration status. Clinical implications and limitations are discussed.