The prevalence of obsessive-compulsive symptoms in a representative sample of Czech adults aged 18–50: Associations between olfactory irritability and disgust sensitivity

Obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptoms are usually associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder but they are also present in the general population. It has been reported that OC symptoms can involve atypical olfactory experiences, but their impact on mental health and wellbeing is poorly understood. We have investigated the prevalence of OC symptoms in a representative sample ( n = 996) of the adult Czech population aged 18–50. We investigated to find out whether the severity of OC symptoms is associated with odour awareness, olfactory irritability, disgust sensitivity, and trait anxiety. A total of 12.3% of respondents reported moderate or elevated OC symptoms, with the highest prevalence observed in individuals aged 18–30 years. We also found that trait anxiety and olfactory irritability positively predicted the severity of OC symptoms, but, interestingly, disgust sensitivity was not a significant predictor of the severity of OC symptoms in our sample. Overall, these findings highlight a complex link between OC symptoms and atypical olfactory experiences in a non-clinical adult population.