Symptom structure in Japanese patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder.
OBJECTIVE
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) comprises a number of specific symptom dimensions. The authors factor analyzed data on the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale symptom checklist in a large group of Japanese OCD patients to examine whether symptom dimensions were stable across cultures.


METHODS
A principal components analysis of Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale major symptom categories was performed on Japanese OCD patients (N=343). The association between symptom dimensions and clinical variables, including 1-year outcome after combination treatment, was also examined using Pearson correlations.


RESULTS
Four factors explaining 57.7% of the variance were identified: 1) contamination/washing, 2) hoarding, 3) symmetry/repeating and ordering, and 4) aggressive/checking symptoms. The symmetry dimension was associated with early age at onset, and both the symmetry and hoarding dimensions were associated with decreased functioning and treatment resistance.


CONCLUSIONS
The findings in this study support transcultural stability in the symptom structure of OCD, which is consistent with the hypothesis that OCD is mediated by universal psychobiological mechanisms.
Matsunaga
Hisato
H
Department of Neuropsychiatry, Osaka City University Medical School, 1-4-3 Asahi-machi, Abeno-ku, Osaka 545-8585, Japan. hisato@msic.med
Maebayashi
Kensei
K
Hayashida
Kazuhisa
K
Okino
Kenya
K
Matsui
Tokuzo
T
Iketani
Tosiya
T
Kiriike
Nobuo
N
Stein
Daniel J
DJ
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D044466:Asian People / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016896:Treatment Outcome