Psychometric Evaluation of the Japanese Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale Modified for Olfactory Reference Disorder (ORD-YBOCS-J)

ObjectiveThe Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale Modified for Olfactory Reference Syndrome (ORS-YBOCS) is a self-rated measure for assessing the severity of current olfactory reference disorder (ORD) symptoms. This scale has been translated into multiple languages and used in previous studies. However, its psychometric properties have not been investigated. The present study aimed to develop a Japanese ORS-YBOCS (newly named the ORD-YBOCS) and examine its reliability and validity. MethodsA total of 104 individuals with self-reported ORD symptoms were included (mean age = 30.20 years, SD = 10.25). Internal consistency and factor structure were assessed by calculating Cronbachs alpha and conducting confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) respectively. Convergent and divergent validity were examined via correlations with measures of Jikoshu-Kyofu symptoms, body image concerns, depression, and fear of negative evaluation. ResultsThe Japanese ORD-YBOCS had good internal consistency ( = .81) and acceptable construct validity (r = .43 with Jikoshu-Kyofu symptoms, r = .20 with body image concerns, r = .56 with depression, and r = .27 with fear of negative evaluation). The scree plot suggested a one-factor model, but the CFA results did not support this (CFI = 0.76, TLI = 0.70, RMSEA = 0.14, and SRMR = 0.10). ConclusionThis is the first study to examine the psychometric properties of the self-report ORS-YBOCS. The linguistically validated Japanese ORD-YBOCS showed good internal consistency and acceptable validity. These results suggest that the Japanese ORD-YBOCS is a valid and reliable tool to measure ORD symptom severity.