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Intrusive thoughts and compulsive behaviors in postpartum women: Psychometric properties of the parental thoughts and behaviors checklist.

Thiseus, Johan ; Perrin, Sean LU orcid and Cervin, Matti LU (2019) In Psychiatry Research 278. p.194-198
Abstract
Background and Aim
Postpartum-specific obsessions and compulsions are common in postpartum women, but validated measures to comprehensively assess such symptoms are few. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the psychometric properties of a self-report version of the Parental Thoughts and Behaviors Checklist (PTBC) that assesses postpartum-specific intrusive thoughts, associated behaviors, and their overall severity and interference.
Methods
The PTBC, along with measures of general obsessive-compulsive symptoms, depression, anxiety, parental stress and quality of life, were administered via an online survey platform to 488 women who had given birth during the last year.
Findings
Scores on the PTBC... (More)
Background and Aim
Postpartum-specific obsessions and compulsions are common in postpartum women, but validated measures to comprehensively assess such symptoms are few. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the psychometric properties of a self-report version of the Parental Thoughts and Behaviors Checklist (PTBC) that assesses postpartum-specific intrusive thoughts, associated behaviors, and their overall severity and interference.
Methods
The PTBC, along with measures of general obsessive-compulsive symptoms, depression, anxiety, parental stress and quality of life, were administered via an online survey platform to 488 women who had given birth during the last year.
Findings
Scores on the PTBC subscales showed good to excellent internal consistency and correlated in the expected direction with the other measures in the study, with the strongest correlations being with OCD and anxiety. Scores on the PTBC also discriminated between women with and without a self-reported history of OCD. Finally, exploratory factor analyses yielded nine thematic factors related to obsessions and compulsions (e.g., fear of suffocation/checking, hurting baby accidentally, forbidden sexual thoughts about baby) which largely corresponded to the themes identified by the developers of the interview-based version of the PTBC.
Conclusion
This self-report version of the PTBC was found to possess good psychometric properties and to have a factor structure that largely overlapped with the structure of the interview-based version. Further evaluation of this version is needed, but the measure holds promise as a tool that may aid in the assessment of postpartum OCD that can be used in primary care and in psychiatric settings.
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author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
OCD, Maternal Mental Health, Assessment
in
Psychiatry Research
volume
278
pages
194 - 198
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • scopus:85067245828
  • pmid:31212232
ISSN
1872-7123
DOI
10.1016/j.psychres.2019.06.015
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
5a919583-f123-48a0-ad65-b941c49117dd
date added to LUP
2019-06-12 11:13:57
date last changed
2022-04-18 06:45:16
@article{5a919583-f123-48a0-ad65-b941c49117dd,
  abstract     = {{Background and Aim<br/>Postpartum-specific obsessions and compulsions are common in postpartum women, but validated measures to comprehensively assess such symptoms are few. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the psychometric properties of a self-report version of the Parental Thoughts and Behaviors Checklist (PTBC) that assesses postpartum-specific intrusive thoughts, associated behaviors, and their overall severity and interference.<br/>Methods<br/>The PTBC, along with measures of general obsessive-compulsive symptoms, depression, anxiety, parental stress and quality of life, were administered via an online survey platform to 488 women who had given birth during the last year.<br/>Findings<br/>Scores on the PTBC subscales showed good to excellent internal consistency and correlated in the expected direction with the other measures in the study, with the strongest correlations being with OCD and anxiety. Scores on the PTBC also discriminated between women with and without a self-reported history of OCD. Finally, exploratory factor analyses yielded nine thematic factors related to obsessions and compulsions (e.g., fear of suffocation/checking, hurting baby accidentally, forbidden sexual thoughts about baby) which largely corresponded to the themes identified by the developers of the interview-based version of the PTBC. <br/>Conclusion<br/>This self-report version of the PTBC was found to possess good psychometric properties and to have a factor structure that largely overlapped with the structure of the interview-based version. Further evaluation of this version is needed, but the measure holds promise as a tool that may  aid in the assessment of postpartum OCD that can be used in primary care and in psychiatric settings.<br/>}},
  author       = {{Thiseus, Johan and Perrin, Sean and Cervin, Matti}},
  issn         = {{1872-7123}},
  keywords     = {{OCD; Maternal Mental Health; Assessment}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{194--198}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Psychiatry Research}},
  title        = {{Intrusive thoughts and compulsive behaviors in postpartum women: Psychometric properties of the parental thoughts and behaviors checklist.}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2019.06.015}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.psychres.2019.06.015}},
  volume       = {{278}},
  year         = {{2019}},
}