Psychometric evaluation of the Children's Yale–Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale

Storch, Eric A.; Murphy, Tanya K.; Geffken, Gary R.; Soto, Ohel; Sajid, Muhammad; Allen, Pam; Roberti, Jonathan W.; Killiany, Erin M.; Goodman, Wayne K.

doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2004.06.009

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Volume 129, Issue 1 , Pages 91-98, 30 November 2004

Psychometric evaluation of the Children's Yale–Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale

Eric A. Storch
- Corresponding author. Department of Psychiatry, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA. Tel.: +1-352-392-3611; fax: +1-352-846-1455.
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
Tanya K. Murphy
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
Gary R. Geffken
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
Ohel Soto
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
Muhammad Sajid
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
Pam Allen
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
Jonathan W. Roberti
- New College of Florida, 5700 North Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL 34243, USA
Erin M. Killiany
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
Wayne K. Goodman
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA

Received 14 April 2004; received in revised form 27 May 2004; accepted 12 June 2004.

Abstract

This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Children's Yale–Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (CY-BOCS). A total of 61 children and adolescents, aged 4–18 years, who were diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) participated. Thirty-seven of these children also participated in a second CY-BOCS administration by the same rater an average of 41 days later. Good internal consistency and test–retest reliability were found for the CY-BOCS Obsession and Compulsion Severity Scores and the Total Score. CY-BOCS scores demonstrated strong correlations with clinician-rated measures of impairment, obsessions, and compulsions. In addition, CY-BOCS scores were moderately related to measures of depression, aggressive behavior, and symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, but were not significantly related to clinician ratings of tics or self-reports of general anxiety. Findings suggest that the CY-BOCS is a reliable and valid instrument for the assessment of childhood obsessions and compulsions.

Keywords: Obsessive-compulsive disorder, Children's Yale–Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale, Validity, Reliability