The Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory: development and validation of a short version

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Clinical Psychology
• Psychometrics

Background:

• The Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory (OCI) is a widely used self-report measure for assessing obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
• Previous versions of the OCI had limitations including redundant scales and overlapping subscales.
• A psychometrically sound and theoretically driven revision was needed to enhance diagnostic accuracy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report the development and validation of a revised Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory (OCI-R).
• To improve upon the original OCI by simplifying scoring, reducing subscale overlap, and eliminating redundant items.
• To evaluate the reliability and validity of the OCI-R as a diagnostic tool for OCD.

Main Methods:

• The revised OCI (OCI-R) was developed with 18 items across 6 subscales.
• Reliability and validity were assessed in a diverse sample: 215 patients with OCD, 243 with other anxiety disorders, and 677 non-anxious individuals.
• Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses were conducted to determine diagnostic utility.

Main Results:

• The OCI-R demonstrated excellent psychometric properties, including high reliability and validity.
• The OCI-R and its subscales effectively differentiated between individuals with and without OCD.
• Empirically derived cut-scores from ROC analyses confirmed the OCI-R's utility in screening for OCD.

Conclusions:

• The revised Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory (OCI-R) is a reliable and valid measure for assessing OCD symptoms.
• The OCI-R shows strong diagnostic accuracy and is useful for screening patients with OCD.
• This revised instrument offers an improved tool for both clinical practice and research in obsessive-compulsive disorder.