Development of a chinese version of the Yale-Brown obsessive compulsive scale for heavy drinking.
BACKGROUND
Measurement of craving is an important component in the investigation of the etiology and clinical pictures of alcoholism and dependence of other substances in different cultures. The aim of this study was to develop a Chinese version of the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale for heavy drinking (YBOCS-hd-C), the instrument most frequently used in assessing the severity of alcohol craving in Taiwan.


METHODS
Four hundred twenty Han Chinese (220 with alcohol use disorders) and 218 Bunun aborigines (150 with alcohol use disorders) in Taiwan were interviewed by mental health professionals with the YBOCS-hd-C and a Chinese version of the World Health Organization Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry to establish the psychiatric diagnosis. Validity and reliability of the YBOCS-hd-C were examined.


RESULTS
The YBOCS-hd-C was found to have acceptable interrater reliability (intraclass correlation, 0.89-0.96), internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.99), construct validity, concurrent validity, and cross-cultural validity. The correlations between 10 items of the YBOCS-hd-C and 11 items of the World Health Organization Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry adjusted for age, gender, and ethnicity ranged from 0.39 to 1.00. The YBOCS-hd-C also discriminated effectively among individuals with alcohol dependence, alcohol abusers, and normal drinkers.


CONCLUSIONS
This study demonstrated that the YBOCS-hd-C is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing the extent of craving for alcohol in Taiwanese Han and Bunun individuals.
Gau
Susan S F
SS
Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University and National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
Liu
Chia-Yih
CY
Lee
Chau-Shoun
CS
Chang
Jung-Chen
JC
Chang
Ching-Jui
CJ
Li
Chang-Fang
CF
Chen
Chiao-Chicy
CC
Cheng
Andrew T A
AT
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D010552:Personality Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015203:Reproducibility of Results