[Development of the AMDP module for identification of obsessive- compulsive symptoms. Conceptualization and empirical...

Results of epidemiology and comorbidity studies have recently demonstrated the psychopathological relevance of obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Therefore the "Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Methodik und Diagnostik in der Psychiatrie" (AMDP) has started to develop a rating scale for a quick and precise assessment of obsessive-compulsive symptoms. The actual version of the scale comprises 20 items on the dimensions "description", "distress and impairment" and "emotion and cognition". The results of a first empirical study (n = 137, psychiatric in- and outpatients) demonstrated excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.92), a split-half reliability of 0.89 (Spearman-Brown), a test-retest reliability of r = 0.86 and good convergent validity with the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) and the Hamburger Zwangsinventar (HZI). The factor-analytical distribution of the 20 items revealed a 4-factor structure of the scale. The results are presented and their implications on further steps of the development of the scale are discussed.