Factor analysis of repetitive behaviors in Autism as measured by the Y-BOCS

J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2011 Summer;23(3):332-9. doi: 10.1176/jnp.23.3.jnp332.

Abstract

The authors carried out a factor analysis of the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale checklist at the category level in order to reduce the number of variables in this domain and ultimately identify possible endophenotypes; 181 children with autism were enrolled. The authors estimated a tetrachoric correlation matrix among the dichotomous symptom categories and then used exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses to identify a clinically meaningful factor structure for this correlation matrix. Their analysis supported a four-factor solution: obsessions, higher-order repetitive behaviors, lower-order repetitive behaviors, and hoarding. These findings are another step in the effort to identify genetically and biologically distinct groups within this population.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Autistic Disorder / complications*
  • Chi-Square Distribution
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Factor Analysis, Statistical*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / diagnosis*
  • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / etiology*
  • Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
  • Psychometrics
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Severity of Illness Index
  • Surveys and Questionnaires