Benchmarking empirical severity for the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale-Second Edition

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Clinical Psychology
• Psychometrics

Background:

• The Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) is a key OCD assessment tool.
• Critiques led to the development of the Y-BOCS-II with an improved severity ceiling.
• Establishing benchmarks for the Y-BOCS-II is crucial for accurate clinical interpretation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish empirically derived severity benchmarks for the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale-Second Edition (Y-BOCS-II).
• To validate these benchmarks across diverse populations, including children and adults with OCD.
• To provide clear ranges for classifying OCD severity using the Y-BOCS-II.

Main Methods:

• Utilized receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) analyses on a pooled international sample (N=2982).
• Included diverse participants with OCD or related concerns.
• Validated benchmarks using holdout and independent Chinese OCD patient samples (n=78).

Main Results:

• Established optimal Y-BOCS-II severity benchmark ranges: non-/sub-clinical (0-14), mild (15-21), moderate (22-34), severe (35-50).
• Benchmarks largely mirrored the original Y-BOCS at lower scores and extended at higher scores.
• Benchmarks demonstrated consistency across sex and age groups and were validated in independent samples.

Conclusions:

• The Y-BOCS-II severity benchmarks provide reliable classifications for OCD.
• These benchmarks enhance the instrument's utility in clinical practice and research.
• Further implications for using the Y-BOCS-II are discussed.