Obsessive-compulsive disorder and fear of AIDS contamination in childhood.

Two cases of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in prepubertal children are described in which the predominant obsessive ruminations relate to fear of acquired immune deficiency (AIDS) contamination. The findings in these cases are discussed in relation to known demographic and clinical profiles of OCD in children and adolescents. Fear of AIDS contamination in childhood OCD may reflect the effect of the current emphasis on AIDS in potentially vulnerable children with environmental influences giving the symptoms their specific content.