Examining the factor structure of the self-report Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale Symptom Checklist

Abstract

Obsessive-compulsive symptom dimensions are important in studies about the pathogenesis and treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder. More than 30 factor analytic studies using the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale Symptom Checklist (Y-BOCS-SC) interview version have been published. However, a drawback of the Y-BOCS-SC interview is that it is time-consuming for the clinician. Baer's self-report version of the Y-BOCS-SC could be a less time-consuming alternative. The purpose of this study was to examine the factor structure of Baer's self-report Y-BOCS-SC. In a sample of 286 patients, we performed two factor analyses, one using categories and one using items of the Y-BOCS-SC. Using category-level data, we identified four factors; when using items we identified six factors. Symptom dimensions for contamination/cleaning, symmetry/repeating/counting/ordering and hoarding were found in both analyses. The impulsive aggression, pathological doubt, sexual, religious somatic and checking categories formed one factor in the analysis using category-level data and divided into three factors using item-level data. These factors correspond with studies using the interview version and support our hypothesis that the self-report version of the Y-BOCS-SC could be an alternative for the interview version.

Clarifying the Placement of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in the Empirical Structure of Psychopathology

“…The YBOCS-SR contains both a symptom checklist and a severity measure, totalling 69 items, however, in line with Leckman et al (1997), the miscellaneous section of the checklist was excluded from analysis, leaving 52 items. Following previous research (e.g., du Mortier et al, 2019;Wu et al, 2007) response scales were adjusted from dichotomous to dimensional 5-point Likert scales (0 = Not present, through to 4 = Very Severe). Items were assigned to symptom clusters per Leckman et al (1997).…”

“…One explanation might be the well-documented heterogeneity within the diagnostic category of OCD (e.g., Abramowitz & Jacoby, 2014). For example, four robust symptom dimensions have been identified in multiple symptom measures of OCD: (1) obsession and checking, (2) symmetry and ordering, (3) washing and contamination, and (4) hoarding (e.g., Bloch et al, 2008;du Mortier et al, 2019;Leckman et al, 1997;Stein et al, 2010;Summerfeldt et al, 2010;Summerfeldt, Richter, Antony, & Swinson, 1999;Watson et al, 2004). We turn now to briefly discuss each of these symptom dimensions, and available evidence regarding their patterns of co-occurrence with other domains of psychopathology.…”

Clinical reappraisal of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview Version 3.0 in the Saudi National Mental Health Survey

“…Individual-level CIDI-SCID diagnostic concordance was next evaluated by calculating area under the receiver operator characteristic curve (AUC; Hanley & McNeil, 1982). Although Cohen's κ (Cohen, 1960) is a much more widely used measure of concordance in validity studies of psychiatric disorders, κ is dependent on prevalence and consequently is often low in situations where there appears to be high agreement between low-prevalence measures (Byrt, Bishop, & Carlin, 1993;Cook, 1998;Kraemer et al, 2003). An important implication is that κ varies across populations that differ in prevalence even when the populations do not differ in sensitivity (SN; the percent of true cases correctly classified by the CIDI) or specificity (SP; the percent of true noncases correctly classified).…”

A Preliminary Examination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Versus Exposure and Response Prevention for Patients with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder on an Optimal Dose of SSRIs: A Randomized Controlled Trial in Iran

“…It has demonstrated both good interrater reliability for the total score ( r s between 0.80 and 0.97) and 2-week test–retest reliability (between 0.81 and 0.97) and has shown excellent treatment sensitivity (Goodman et al, 1989; Steketee et al, 1996). Previous research has supported the use of self-report Y-BOCS as a moderately effective alternative to the clinician-administered versions in clinical samples (du Mortier et al, 2019; Hauschildt et al, 2019). In the current study, the internal consistency (Cronbach’s α ) at pretreatment was 0.71.…”