Exploring yale-brown obsessive-compulsive scale symptom structure in Iranian OCD patients using item-based factor...

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Clinical Psychology
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a complex psychiatric condition with diverse symptom presentations.
• Understanding the specific symptom structure of OCD in different cultural contexts is crucial for effective diagnosis and treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To comprehensively analyze the symptom structure of OCD in Iranian patients.
• To identify distinct symptom factors within the Iranian OCD population.
• To explore the influence of culture on the manifestation of OCD symptoms.

Main Methods:

• Utilized item-based factor analysis on the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) checklist data from 216 outpatients.
• Conducted regression analyses to examine the predictive relationships between identified factors and miscellaneous OCD items.
• Performed correlation analyses to investigate the associations between symptom factors and various clinical characteristics.

Main Results:

• Identified five primary OCD symptom factors: aggression/checking, contamination/cleaning, symmetry/ordering/repeating/counting/hoarding, sexual, and somatic.
• Observed similarities in OCD subtypes between Iranian patients and other populations, with notable exceptions in aggressive, sexual, and religious obsessions, suggesting cultural impact.
• Found significant correlations between specific factors and clinical variables, such as obsession/compulsion scores, age of onset, and family history.

Conclusions:

• The study provides a detailed understanding of OCD symptom structure in Iranian patients, highlighting cultural variations in symptom expression.
• Findings underscore the importance of considering cross-cultural differences in OCD research and clinical practice.
• The identified symptom factors can inform future investigations into the etiology, correlates, and treatment strategies for OCD.