The Dimensional Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (DY-BOCS): an instrument for assessing obsessive-compulsive...

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Clinical Psychology
• Psychometrics

Background:

• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) presents a complex phenotype with diverse symptoms.
• Identifying stable symptom dimensions is crucial for understanding OCD.
• The Dimensional Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (DY-BOCS) was developed to address this need.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the psychometric properties of the DY-BOCS.
• To assess the reliability and validity of both expert and self-report versions of the DY-BOCS.
• To examine the DY-BOCS's utility across different age groups.

Main Methods:

• Assessed 137 patients diagnosed with OCD (ages 6-69) across multiple international sites.
• Calculated reliability (internal consistency, inter-rater agreement) and validity.
• Correlated DY-BOCS scores with the total Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale and other clinical ratings (depression, anxiety, tics).

Main Results:

• The DY-BOCS demonstrated excellent internal consistency and inter-rater agreement for all dimensions and global scores.
• Self-report and expert ratings were highly correlated.
• Individual symptom dimension scores showed modest correlations with global ratings and differential relationships with comorbid symptoms.

Conclusions:

• The DY-BOCS is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing OCD symptom severity.
• It is suitable for use in various research contexts, including natural history, neuroimaging, treatment response, and genetic studies.
• The scale's psychometric properties were consistent across pediatric and adult populations.