Assessing older adults׳ Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder symptoms: Psychometric characteristics of the Obsessive Compulsive Inventory-Revised

• Obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptom measures have not been validated with older adults curtailing research and treatment.
• We evaluated the Obsessive Compulsive Inventory-Revised (OCI-R) with participants aged 65 and older.
• OCI-R total score was robustly associated with OC symptoms assessed 18 months later.
• Results indicate the OCI-R is an effective OC symptom measure for older adults.

The lack of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) symptom measures validated for use with older adults has hindered research and treatment development for the age group. We evaluated the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised (OCI-R; Foa et al., 2002) with participants aged 65 and older (N=180) to determine if the measure was an effective tool for evaluating obsessional symptoms. Participants completed the OCI-R and a comprehensive assessment battery up to four times over approximately 18 months. Results supported the well-replicated latent structure of the OCI-R (i.e., Washing, Checking, Ordering, Obsessing, Hoarding, and Neutralizing). OCI-R total score was robustly associated with OCD symptoms assessed 18 months later by clinical interview, while scores on self-report measures of worry, general anxiety, and depression were not. Results indicate the OCI-R is an effective OCD symptom measure for older adults, although replication with additional older adult samples is needed.