Interactions of Technology and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Symptomatology in Adults: Qualitative Interview Study
This study characterizes how interactions between OCD and digital technologies manifest across established symptom domains, most notably disturbing-thought and "not-just-right" categories. Participants overwhelmingly experienced compulsive checking, reassurance-seeking, and ordering behaviors reinforced by features such as information-provision, gamification, notifications, and user interfaces. These findings highlight the clinical relevance of technology-related compulsions and suggest value in their systematic assessment, incorporation into psychoeducation, and consideration in digital design.
Authors
- Harrison Wang
- Elaine Suk-Ching Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3739-6216)
- Kieran J. Phelan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4943-8268)
- Ujjwal Pasupulety (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8760-2829)
- Adam C. Frank (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8203-8480)
- Lucas Occhino-Moede
- Tamerlane C Visher (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-6810-9398)
- Kaitlyn Sulivan-Pascual
- Daniel Mokhtar
- Erica Schug
- Megan Mirkis
- Thomas Baek
Institutions
- University of Southern California (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal of Medical Internet Research
- Published
- 2025-12-17
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.2196/85033
- Primary Topic
- Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00