Association between miscellaneous symptoms and primary symptom dimensions among chinese adults with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Highlights • A new four-dimensional model was factorially derived based on the data of chinese adults with OCD: Obsessions, Symmetry/Ritual, Contamination/Cleaning and Hoarding/Religion. • In the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale, 11 of 17 miscellaneous symptoms were associated with one or more of the symptom dimensions. • The obsessions dimension was significantly associated with seven miscellaneous symptoms. The Symmetry/Ritual dimension and Contamination/Cleaning dimension was significantly associated with one miscellaneous symptom. The Hoarding/Religion dimension was related to two miscellaneous symptoms. Abstract Obsessive compulsive-disorder (OCD) is a common mental illness characterized by the presence of obsessions and/or compulsions. Symptom presence and severity is typically evaluated through the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS). However, miscellaneous symptoms embedded within the Y-BOCS Symptom Checklist have often been overlooked despite being associated with certain dimensions. In this study, we used exploratory factor analysis and logistic regression to explore the relationship between various miscellaneous symptoms and OCD symptom dimensions among 123 Chinese adults with OCD. A four-dimensional model was factorially derived: Obsessions, Symmetry/Ritual, Contamination/Cleaning and Contamination/Cleaning. In general, 11 out of 17 miscellaneous symptoms were associated with one or more of the symptom dimensions. Among them, the Obsessions dimension was significantly associated with seven miscellaneous symptoms: "Fear of not saying just the right thing," "Intrusive (non-violent) images," "Intrusive nonsense sounds, words", etc. The Symmetry/Ritual dimension was significantly associated with "Need to tell, ask, or confess." The Contamination/Cleaning dimension was related to "Need to know or remember". The Hoarding/Religion dimension was related to "Fear of losing things," and "Superstitious fears". Results contribute to the clinical assessment, diagnosis and treatment of Chinese patients with OCD by understanding the extent to which certain miscellaneous symptoms are associated with primary symptom dimensions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]