Psychometric validation of a Danish version of the Obsessive Beliefs Questionnaire - Child Version (OBQ-CV)

The aim of the study was to examine the psychometric properties of a Danish version of the Obsessive Beliefs Questionnaire - Child Version (OBQ-CV). The OBQ-CV assesses dysfunctional beliefs concerning responsibility/threat estimation, perfectionism/uncertainty, and importance/control of thoughts, which according to cognitive theories are important in the development and maintenance of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

The study included a pediatric sample (age 7-17 years) consisting of 57 children and adolescents with OCD, 49 children and adolescents with an anxiety disorder (AD), and 58 typically developing (TD) children and adolescents without a psychiatric diagnosis. All participants completed the OBQ-CV and the Child Behavior Checklist - the School Age Scales (CBCL/6-18). The Children's Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (CY-BOCS) was used to assess OCD symptom severity in the OCD group.

Confirmatory factor analyses supported the three-factor structure and thereby the construct validity of the OBQ-CV. Gender was not associated with subscale scores, whereas age influenced the subscale scores differently in the three groups. Reliability analyses showed acceptable to excellent internal consistency and acceptable test-retest reliability of the instrument. There were significant differences between the OCD group and the TD group, supporting the criterion validity. Results on convergent validity were mixed.

Overall, results supported the reliability and validity of the Danish OBQ-CV and thus the use of the questionnaire for future clinical and research purposes.