Premium
Obsessive‐compulsive behaviour in children and adolescents: A cross‐sectional Australian study
Author(s) -
KING NJ,
MYERSON NN,
INGLIS S,
JENKINS M,
OLLENDICK TH
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
journal of paediatrics and child health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.631
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1440-1754
pISSN - 1034-4810
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-1754.1995.tb00877.x
Subject(s) - obsessive compulsive , medicine , internal consistency , cross sectional study , clinical psychology , psychiatry , compulsive behavior , reliability (semiconductor) , developmental psychology , psychometrics , psychology , power (physics) , physics , pathology , quantum mechanics
Objective: To examine the reliability of the survey form of the Leyton Obsessional Inventory‐Child Version (LOI‐CV), ascertain the prevalence of self‐reported obsessive‐compulsive behaviour together with age and sex differences and identify the most common obsessive‐compulsive behaviours and their associated level of interference. Methodology: The survey form of the LOI‐CV was administered to a large sample of children and adolescents attending regular schools. Participants were aged between 8 and 16 years ( n = 1602). Results: We found the survey instrument to have adequate internal consistency and test‐retest reliability. There was an age‐related decline in self‐reported obsessive‐compulsive behaviour and girls reported a higher level of obsessive‐compulsive behaviour than boys. The most common obsessive‐compulsive behaviours included: repeated thoughts or words, having trouble making decisions, having to do certain things and doing things in the exact manner and having a bad conscience. For the most part, these behaviours were associated with low levels of interference. However, for a significant minority of youth (5 to 14%), these behaviours did cause problems and significantly interfered with their lives. Conclusions: Although many obsessive‐compulsive behaviours are part of normal development, they may still be problematic for some children and adolescents.