Factor analytic study of the Children's Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Child and Adolescent Psychology
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• The Children's Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (CY-BOCS) is a widely used measure for assessing obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptom severity in pediatric populations.
• Previous research has identified different factor structures for the CY-BOCS, including models based on obsessions and compulsions, or disturbance and severity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the psychometric properties of the CY-BOCS in a clinical sample of children and adolescents with OCD.
• To evaluate the fit of previously proposed factor models for the CY-BOCS.
• To explore an alternative factor structure for the CY-BOCS.

Main Methods:

• Confirmatory factor analyses were conducted on two established CY-BOCS models.
• Exploratory factor analysis was used to identify an alternative factor structure.
• Internal consistency, convergent validity, and divergent validity were assessed using various measures.

Main Results:

• Confirmatory factor analyses of existing models showed poor fit indices.
• Exploratory factor analysis supported a severity and disturbance model, with some item differences compared to prior research.
• The CY-BOCS factors demonstrated acceptable internal consistency and supported convergent and divergent validity with related clinical and self-report measures.

Conclusions:

• The total score of the CY-BOCS may not accurately reflect OCD symptom severity in pediatric populations.
• A revised model, emphasizing severity and disturbance factors, is suggested for more precise assessment of illness severity.
• These findings have implications for clinical practice and future research utilizing the CY-BOCS.