The children's Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale: Item structure in an outpatient setting

The Children's Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (CY-BOCS) is one of the most popular measures of symptom severity for childhood obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). This study describes the factor structure of the CY-BOCS. A total of 233 children diagnosed with OCD were evaluated with the CY-BOCS. The results indicated that 2 alternate 2-factor solutions (obsessions and compulsions; severity and disturbance) fit the data set best. The results also suggested that items assessing resistance to obsessions and compulsions provide unreliable evaluations of these symptoms in children with OCD. Recommendations for modifications to the CY-BOCS as well as clinical applications and for future research with the measure are made.