title: Obsessive-compulsive behaviour in children and adolescents: a cross-sectional Australian study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  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.
  
  
  METHODS
  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).
  
  
  RESULTS
  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.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although many obsessive-compulsive behaviours are part of normal development, they may still be problematic for some children and adolescents.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Education, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: N J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: King
authors.forename: N N
authors.initials: NN
authors.lastname: Myerson
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Inglis
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jenkins
authors.forename: T H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Ollendick
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D017677:Age Distribution; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D011159:Population Surveillance; D015995:Prevalence; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000592:standards; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D017678:Sex Distribution