Obsessive-compulsive behaviour in children and adolescents: a cross-sectional Australian study

To examine the reliability of the survey form of the Leyton Obsessional Inventory-Child Version (LOI-CV), ascertain the prevalence of self-reported obsessive-compulsive behaviour together with age and sex differences and identify the most common obsessive-compulsive behaviours and their associated level of interference.

The survey form of the LOI-CV was administered to a large sample of children and adolescents attending regular schools. Participants were aged between 8 and 16 years (n = 1602).

We found the survey instrument to have adequate internal consistency and test-retest reliability. There was an age-related decline in self-reported obsessive-compulsive behaviour and girls reported a higher level of obsessive-compulsive behaviour than boys. The most common obsessive-compulsive behaviours included: repeated thoughts or words, having trouble making decisions, having to do certain things and doing things in the exact manner and having a bad conscience. For the most part, these behaviours were associated with low levels of interference. However, for a significant minority of youth (5 to 14%), these behaviours did cause problems and significantly interfered with their lives.

Although many obsessive-compulsive behaviours are part of normal development, they may still be problematic for some children and adolescents.