(PS3-C68) COVID-19 Anxiety’s Influence on Obsessive Compulsive Symptoms Among African American Young Adults

Recent research has highlighted how the COVID-19 virus and the stress surrounding the pandemic has affected the population and exacerbated symptoms of anxiety and depression. Black Americans have been shown to be more affected by the virus (CDC, 2020), which undoubtedly has led to more pandemic-related anxiety. Despite this, they are underrepresented in studies surrounding the mental health impacts of the pandemic. There is also little research on how pandemic-related anxiety affects symptoms of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) among this population. Previous research highlights that there is a dearth of research on how OCD affects Black youth and young adults (e.g., Williams & Jahn, 2016; Willis & Neblett, 2018). Addressing the effects of anxiety related to COVID-19 pandemic on Black young adults, especially as it may relate to burgeoning OCD symptoms, is of utmost importance as the pandemic evolves and continues to negatively affect this population’s mental health. Additionally, better understanding these effects may be the first step in treating COVID-specific anxiety in cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for OCD, thus increasing positive treatment outcomes among this marginalized group. In light of these limitations, the current study explored the associations between COVID-19 anxiety (COV-A) and symptoms of OCD among a national sample of Black young adults.

Participants were 404 Black young adults (M_age = 24; 67.7% women) from a larger, nationally recruited sample. Participants completed measures of COV-A and self-reported OCD symptoms (e.g., contamination, responsibility for harm and mistakes, symmetry/incompleteness, and unacceptable thoughts; Abramowitz et al., 2010). Multiple regression analyses revealed that higher reports of COV-A was significantly associated with higher levels of self-reported OCD symptoms, and covariates included age, gender, and socioeconomic status. More specifically, higher levels of COV-A were associated with higher levels of contamination (b = .34, p < .001) , responsibility for harm and mistakes (b = .45, p < .001), symmetry/incompleteness (b = .46, p < .001), and unacceptable thoughts symptoms (b = .43, p < .001).  These findings suggest that COV-A significantly exacerbates OCD symptoms in Black young adults. Study limitations, clinical implications, and future research directions for CBT approaches will be discussed.