Symptom Dimensions in OCD: Item-Level Factor Analysis and Heritability Estimates
Open Access
- 2 April 2010
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Springer Science and Business Media LLC in Behavior Genetics
- Vol. 40 (4), 505-517
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s10519-010-9339-z
Abstract
To reduce the phenotypic heterogeneity of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) for genetic, clinical and translational studies, numerous factor analyses of the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale checklist (YBOCS-CL) have been conducted. Results of these analyses have been inconsistent, likely as a consequence of small sample sizes and variable methodologies. Furthermore, data concerning the heritability of the factors are limited. Item and category-level factor analyses of YBOCS-CL items from 1224 OCD subjects were followed by heritability analyses in 52 OCD-affected multigenerational families. Item-level analyses indicated that a five factor model: (1) taboo, (2) contamination/cleaning, (3) doubts, (4) superstitions/rituals, and (5) symmetry/hoarding provided the best fit, followed by a one-factor solution. All 5 factors as well as the one-factor solution were found to be heritable. Bivariate analyses indicated that the taboo and doubts factor, and the contamination and symmetry/hoarding factor share genetic influences. Contamination and symmetry/hoarding show shared genetic variance with symptom severity. Nearly all factors showed shared environmental variance with each other and with symptom severity. These results support the utility of both OCD diagnosis and symptom dimensions in genetic research and clinical contexts. Both shared and unique genetic influences underlie susceptibility to OCD and its symptom dimensions.Keywords
This publication has 56 references indexed in Scilit:
- Prevalence and correlates of hoarding behavior in a community-based sampleBehaviour Research and Therapy, 2008
- Further development of YBOCS dimensions in the OCD Collaborative Genetics Study: Symptoms vs. categoriesPsychiatry Research, 2008
- A comparative study of obsessive-compulsive disorder in Costa Rica and the United StatesDepression and Anxiety, 2008
- Heritability of obsessive‐compulsive symptom dimensionsNeuropsychiatric Genetics, Part B of the American Journal of Medical Genetics (AJMG), 2008
- The genetics of obsessive compulsive disorder: A review of the evidenceSeminars in Medical Genetics, Part C of the American Journal of Medical Genetics, 2008
- Gender differences in obsessive-compulsive symptom dimensionsDepression and Anxiety, 2007
- Heritability and clinical features of multigenerational families with obsessive‐compulsive disorder and hoardingNeuropsychiatric Genetics, Part B of the American Journal of Medical Genetics (AJMG), 2007
- Effectiveness of intensive residential treatment (IRT) for severe, refractory obsessive-compulsive disorderJournal of Psychiatric Research, 2005
- Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternativesStructural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 1999
- The Design and Use of Variance Component Models in the Analysis of Human Quantitative Pedigree DataBiometrical Journal, 1993