Full Text Full Text (PDF) CME: Take the course for this article: AJP CME Course for February 2008: Symptom Structure in Japanese Patients Wi... Correction (v165,p266) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Email this article to a Colleague Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to My Articles & Searches Download to citation manager Citing Articles via Google Scholar Articles by Matsunaga, H. Articles by Stein, D. J. Search for Related Content PubMed Citation Articles by Matsunaga, H. Articles by Stein, D. J. Cross-Cultural Psychiatry Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Symptoms/Dimensions Related Articles

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. METHOD: 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.

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Transcultural Observations of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Stefano Pallanti
Am J Psychiatry 2008 165: 169-170. [Full Text] [PDF]

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