| Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is one of the leading disabilities in the world. Current international studies have found prevalence rates of 1.9 to 2.5 percent, whereas national studies have lifetime prevalence rates of 1.3 to 8.0 percent. Improved understanding of obsessive compulsive behavior assists in the assessment and the treatment of the disorder, yet much of OCD symptomology has yet to be explained. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of OCD symptomology patterns in a culturally diverse, clinical population, as well as to add to the sparse literature on the role culture and ethnicity have on OCD symptomology. Thus, this study had one hypothesis that states ethnocultural group membership will be associated with significantly different patterns of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) symptomology subtypes. This hypothesis was tested using the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scales (Y-BOCS). The study used a quasi-experimental design and a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was used to analyze the data. Data was obtained via an archival method from patients (N = 134) who participated in an anxiety treatment program in either Sacramento, CA or Los Angeles, CA. The findings of the study did not support the hypothesis that ethnocultural group membership will be associated with significantly different symptomology subtypes. |
