[Hungarian translation of the Dimensional Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale and our first experiences with the...

According to the dimensional approach of the obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), it is possible to identify phenotypic subtypes--so called dimensions--within the heterogeneous clinical manifestations of OCD by statistical techniques (principal component analysis). The Dimensional Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (DY-BOCS) measures the presence of the obsessive-compulsive symptoms within the phenotype. The scale is a semi-structured instrument, which includes a symptom list divided into six dimensions for the patients and a part reserved for the clinician. The authors gave their written permission for the translation of the DY-BOCS test into Hungarian, revised the back-translation of the Hungarian version and the final, revised version is published for the first time, in Hungary. The Hungarian DY-BOCS was administered to seventeen OCD patients at 2nd Department of Psychiatry, Nyírô Gyula Hospital. The reliability analysis produced strong correlation coefficients. The internal consistency (Cronbach alpha) scores were high, ranging from 0.97 to 0.99. The scores of the validity scales were also good. There was a strong convergent validity between the gold standard, Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) global severity scores and the DY-BOCS global severity scores (p=0.001 / r=0.744). The examination of the internal validity showed that the DY-BOCS global score and the aggressive and miscellaneous dimension severity rating scores are strongly correlated. We also experienced strong correlation between the DY-BOCS global score and the component scores of the global severity ratings (time, distress, interference, and impairment), the Pearson's r ranged from 0.815 to 0.960. There was no significant inter-correlation between the dimensions, which supports the assumption that these dimensions are independent constructs. In the divergent validity measures, we used the Hamilton Depression Scale (HAM-D) to compare OCD dimensions with the most common comorbid disorder (depression) symptoms. The severity scores of the HAM-D were correlated with the severity scores of the DY-BOCS dimensions. In this latter validity test, we found only one significant correlation between the aggressive dimension and the severity of the depression. In the case of the remaining dimensions, there was no significant correlation between the dimensions and the severity of depression; thus, it seems that the two tests examine widely different psychological phenomena . The evaluating scores of the Hungarian version of the DY-BOCS are very close to the original published scores. These results indicate that the Hungarian version of the DY-BOCS is a reliable and a valid clinical tool and we hope that by using the test, Hungarian professionals will become familiar with and accept the dimensional approach of OCD.