The Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale: factor analysis, construct validity, and suggestions for refinement.

Full Abstract

The Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) is widely acknowledged as the gold standard measure of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptom severity. Despite its popularity, a number of questions remain regarding the Y-BOCS' psychometric properties including: (a) whether obsessional and compulsive symptoms contribute independently to global OCD severity and (b) whether the Y-BOCS subscales are valid with respect to other measures of OCD. We examined these issues in a sample of 100 patients with a diagnosis of OCD. While our confirmatory factor analyses failed to reproduce any previously reported models of the Y-BOCS factor structure, exploratory factor analysis indicated a two-factor solution that assessed symptom severity (i.e., time, distress, and interference from obsessions and compulsions) as separate from resistance and control of obsessions and compulsions. In contrast to the Resistance/Control Subscale, the Severity Subscale demonstrated good psychometric properties and construct validity. Based on our findings we recommend revisions to scoring the Y-BOCS.

Author information

Author/s: Deacon, Brett J (BJ); Abramowitz, Jonathan S (JS);

Affiliation: Department of Psychiatry & Psychology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First St. SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA.

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Comparative Study; Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Journal: Journal of anxiety disorders (J Anxiety Disord), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2005-; vol 19 (issue 5) : pp 573-85

Dates: Created 2005/03/07; Completed 2005/09/23; Revised 2009/08/12;

PMID: 15749574, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 8/21/2009, IMS Date: )

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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