The Polish Version of the Yale‐Brown Obsessive–Compulsive Scale, Modified to Reflect Obsessions and Compulsions Related to Heavy Drinking (YBOCS‐hd‐PL)

Background The aim of the research work was to present the process of adapting the Polish version of the YBOCS-hd by Modell and colleagues (Alcohol Clin Exp Res 1992;16:266) to Polish conditions and to characterize the psychometric validation of the measure (e.g., validity, internal structure, and reliability). The scale is a self-assessment method consisting of 10 statements designed for measuring the severity of obsessive and compulsive craving-related thoughts and behaviors in alcohol-dependent or alcohol-abusing patients. Methods The study was carried out in a group of 550 patients diagnosed with alcohol dependence syndrome, 510 of whom (396 males and 114 females) were included in the final analysis. The patients were interviewed during the third week of therapy by the Polish version of the Yale-Brown Compulsive Scale Modified to Reflect Obsessions and Compulsions Related to Heavy Drinking (YBOCS-hd-PL), the Penn Alcohol Craving Scale (PACS), Short Alcohol Dependence Data Questionnaire (SADD), and the “compulsive” subscale of SCL-90. Results The YBOCS-hd-PL is characterized by good psychometric properties. Factor analysis identified 2 factors corresponding to the structure of the original version. Its internal consistency, assessed on the basis of Cronbach's alpha, is satisfactory: 0.84 for YBOCS-hd-PL (overall), 0.75 for factor 1 (obsessive thoughts), and 0.79 for factor 2 (compulsive behaviors). The discriminant power of the questions ranged from 0.46 to 0.68 (p < 0.001). For the adapted YBOCS-hd-PL, significant correlations were found between its scores and the PACS and the “compulsive” subscale of the SCL-90 scale. The obtained results indicate the Polish version of the YBOCS-hd (YBOCS-hd-PL) proved to be a reliable and valid instrument. Conclusions In view of its very good psychometric properties, the Polish version of the YBOCS-hd can be recommended as an instrument for assessment of alcohol craving and its obsessive and compulsive aspects in individuals with alcohol use disorders.