Self-, parent-report and interview measures of obsessive-compulsive disorder in children and adolescents

J Anxiety Disord. 2008 Aug;22(6):979-90. doi: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2007.10.001. Epub 2007 Oct 13.

Abstract

Self-report measures of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in children and adolescents are needed for practical evaluation of severity and treatment response. We compared the self- and parent-report Obsessional Compulsive Inventory Revised (CHOCI-R) to the interview-based Child Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (CY-BOCS) in a clinical sample of 285 children and adolescents with OCD. Classical test theory and item-response theory were applied to compare the instruments. The self- and parent-report CHOCI-R had good internal consistency and were strongly related to each other. The self- and parent-report CHOCI-R severity scores correlated with the CY-BOCS (Pearson's r 0.55 and 0.45 respectively). The CY-BOCS discriminated better at the severe end of the spectrum. The CHOCI-R provided better discrimination in the mild to moderate range. The time-efficient self- and parent-report alternatives will enable routine measurement of OCD severity in clinical practice. Estimates of equivalent summed scores are provided to facilitate comparison.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Age Factors
  • Child
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / diagnosis*
  • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / psychology
  • Parents / psychology*
  • Personality Inventory / statistics & numerical data*
  • Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / statistics & numerical data*
  • Psychometrics
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Severity of Illness Index
  • Surveys and Questionnaires