Obsessive-compulsive inventory and obsessive-compulsive inventory-revised scales: translation into brazilian portuguese and cross-cultural adaptation

Abstract

Objective: The present study describes the process of translation into Brazilian Portuguese and the cross-cultural adaptation of the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory and the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised scales. The Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory was developed with the purpose of measuring the intensity of the various symptoms that characterize the obsessive-compulsive disorder, assessing their frequency and the distress they caused during the previous month, as well as estimating the overall severity of the disorder. Thus, different levels of severity among different obsessions and compulsions can be assessed and compared.

Method: The scales were initially translated into Brazilian Portuguese by two bilingual psychiatrists and then independently back-translated by other two bilingual psychiatrists. The scales were then applied to 15 obsessive-compulsive disorder patients, deliberately chosen from different educational levels, to make language adjustments. The author accepted the final version of the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory and the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised scales after their back translation.

Results: The scales were easily understood and filled in by individuals and may be used with obsessive-compulsive disorder patients of different socioeconomic levels.

Conclusion: The Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory and the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised scales, in their Brazilian Portuguese version, can help health professionals to screen potential obsessive-compulsive disorder patients, assess the severity of obsessive-compulsive symptoms and reduce these symptoms using different treatments.