A Comparison of Videoconferencing and In-person Administration of the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale

Abstract

Although effective empirically-based OCD assessments and treatments exist, access to these resources can be challenging (Himle et al., 2006). Fortunately the advent of telemental health (TMH) to provide mental health services via videoconferencing may ameliorate some of these access challenges. Participants were 30 undergraduates identified as having subclinical obsessive compulsive symptoms. Each participant underwent Y-BOCS assessments twice, once over videoconferencing and once in-person. As hypothesized, videoconferencing and in-person administrations of the Y-BOCS Symptom Checklist and Severity Ratings were functionally equivalent. However, the results did not support the hypothesis that a TMH environment would be more conducive for increased comfort in disclosure of symptoms. The results build upon prior research demonstrating that TMH is feasible and acceptable for a wide range of underserved populations and settings. Research to establish assessment measures like the Y-BOCS as reliable and acceptable when used over videoconferencing may promote the further dissemination of gold-standard assessments and treatments to underserved populations.