Measuring obsessive-compulsive symptoms: Padua Inventory-Revised vs. Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale.
Although the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) and the Padua Inventory-Revised (PI-R) are the most widely used instruments for assessing presence and severity of symptoms in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), the correlation between the two instruments is surprisingly low. The aim of the present investigation was to test two possible explanations for the discrepancy between these instruments by comparing both scales in 120 OCD patients. The tested hypotheses included: (1) differences in the way the measures are administered, i.e. observer-rated vs. self-rated; and (2) differences in the way severity is calculated, i.e. the PI-R measures severity by aggregating symptoms, while the Y-BOCS measures severity unrelated to the number of symptoms. Results indicated that neither hypothesis satisfactorily explains the differences between the measures. The investigation concludes that the Y-BOCS and PI-R measure relatively unrelated features of OCD, and the combined use of multiple measures is recommended to assess the complexity of OCD phenomena.
Anholt
Gideon E
GE
Department of Psychiatry, EMGO Institute University Medical Center, Academic Outpatient Clinic for Anxiety Disorders, GGZ inGeest, A.J.Ernststraat 887, Amsterdam 1081 HL, The Netherlands.
van Oppen
Patricia
P
Emmelkamp
Paul M G
PM
Cath
Danielle C
DC
Smit
Johannes H
JH
van Dyck
Richard
R
van Balkom
Anton J L M
AJ
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D003192:Compulsive Behavior / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009770:Obsessive Behavior / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011594:Psychometrics; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires