Obsessive–Compulsive Personality Disorder Symptoms in Veterans Receiving Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Specialty Care

Background: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with high rates of comorbid personality disorders, which may contribute to PTSD severity. Obsessive–compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) is understudied but common among military/veterans with PTSD, with reported prevalence estimates ranging from 11 to 44%. Despite this, the relationship between OCPD traits and PTSD severity remains poorly understood. Methods: This retrospective chart review study examined associations between PTSD severity and OCPD traits in a naturalistic sample of 99 veterans evaluated by a single clinician in a PTSD/Trauma Recovery Services clinic. PTSD symptoms were measured with the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), and OCPD traits were measured with the Pathological Obsessive–Compulsive Personality Scale (POPS). Relationships between these two constructs were examined using Pearson’s correlations. Results: Overall PTSD severity was significantly and positively correlated with total OCPD traits (Spearman’s ρ = 0.46, p < 0.001). Among OCPD domains, maladaptive perfectionism showed the strongest association with PTSD severity (ρ = 0.45, p < 0.001), followed by emotional overcontrol (ρ = 0.45, p < 0.001), reluctance to delegate (ρ = 0.38, p = 0.001), rigidity (ρ = 0.31, p = 0.010), and difficulty with change (ρ = 0.30, p = 0.013). Conclusions: These findings suggest clinically meaningful OCPD traits were associated with PTSD symptom burden in this veteran sample, warranting further research and clinical attention.