Examining Relations Between Obsessive-Compulsive Features, Substance-Use Disorders, and Antisocial Personality Disorder in the Vietnam Era Twin Cohort

Classes of obsessive-compulsive features differing both quantitatively and qualitatively have been linked to gambling disorder. This secondary data analysis sought to extend this line of investigation to examine the extent to which previously reported latent obsessive-compulsive classes may relate to externalizing conditions in a sample of 1675 twin male veterans recruited and surveyed for studies of gambling behaviors/disorder. Using latent class analysis and multivariate regression, we found that participants who reported the highest levels of obsessive-compulsive features were more likely to meet criteria for cannabis abuse and dependence and antisocial personality disorder. When adjusting for co-occurring disorders, the relationship with antisocial personality disorder remained significant whereas those for cannabis use disorders did not. These results highlight the potential utility of considering obsessive-compulsive features within a transdiagnostic framework and suggest that specific externalizing disorders have important links to obsessive-compulsive features. Future research is needed to extend these findings to other samples.