Temporal stability of obsessive-compulsive symptom dimensions in an undergraduate sample: a prospective 2-year follow-up study

Behav Modif. 2007 Nov;31(6):815-24. doi: 10.1177/0145445507301649.

Abstract

The temporal stability of obsessive-compulsive symptom dimensions was studied in a nonclinical student sample. The Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory--Revised was administered twice to 132 undergraduate students during a 2-year period. There were no significant changes in symptom dimension scores between the baseline and follow-up, except for the Obsessing scale. The score of each dimension at follow-up was strongly and uniquely predicted from the score on the same dimension at baseline. The results indicate that obsessive-compulsive symptom dimensions tend to be temporally stable in nonclinical participants, replicating similar studies in clinical populations.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Female
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / diagnosis
  • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / psychology*
  • Prospective Studies
  • Severity of Illness Index
  • Statistics, Nonparametric
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Time Factors