Adaptation and validation of the Family Accommodation Scale for obssesive-compulsive symptoms in a sample of Spanish adolescents

Abstract

Introduction. Family influence and involvement in the obsessive-compulsive symptoms of their relatives are widely recognized in clinical practice although there is a very little research investigating those variables. The Family Accommodation (FAS) for obsessive-compulsive symptoms is an interview developed to evaluate those aspects of family interactions. The aim of this study is to present the Spanish translation, adaptation and validation of the FAS in a sample of Spanish adolescents.

Method. This is a 12 month follow-up study of 20 adolescents diagnosed of obsessive-compusive disorder (OCD), and their families, who started treatment in a child and adolescent mental health outpatient unit.

Results. The reliability measurement of the scale obtains good values (Cronbach's alpha is 0.87, Guttman split-half is 0.81). Measurement of convergent validity has good correlation levels with other measures of OCD symptoms severity, both at the onset of the treatment as well as at the 12 month follow-up. There are no significant differences in FAS scores between families whose mother and/or father exhibit OCD symptoms of their own and those without this condition. The results support the hypothesis that the evaluation interview of the Spanish adaptation of the family accommodation/involvement in OCD symptoms, as the original, is a reliable and valid measure of family participation in obsessive-compulsive symptoms of adolescent with OCD.