The Yale–Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) is the most frequently applied test to assess obsessive compulsive symptoms. We conducted a reliability generalization meta-analysis on the Y-BOCS to estimate the average reliability, examine the variability among the reliability estimates, search for moderators, and propose a predictive model that researchers and clinicians can use to estimate the expected reliability of the Y-BOCS. We included studies where the Y-BOCS was applied to a sample of adults and reliability estimate was reported. Out of the 11,490 references located, 144 studies met the selection criteria. For the total scale, the mean reliability was 0.866 for coefficients alpha, 0.848 for test–retest correlations, and 0.922 for intraclass correlations. The moderator analyses led to a predictive model where the standard deviation of the total test and the target population (clinical vs. nonclinical) explained 38.6% of the total variability among coefficients alpha. Finally, clinical implications of the results are discussed.

Although several meta-analyses have investigated the efficacy of psychological treatments for pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), there is not yet a consensus on the most efficacious treatment components. A meta-analysis was carried out to examine the efficacy of the different treatment techniques used in the psychological interventions of pediatric OCD. An exhaustive literature search from 1983 to February 2014 enabled us to locate 46 published articles that applied some kind of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). For each group the effect size was the standardized pretest-posttest mean change, and it was calculated for obsessive-compulsive symptoms and for other outcome measures. The results clearly showed large effect sizes for CBT in reducing obsessive-compulsive symptoms and, to a lesser extent, other outcome measures (d₊= 1.860; 95% CI: 1.639; 2.081). The most promising treatments are those based on multicomponent programs comprising ERP, cognitive strategies, and relapse prevention. The analysis of other potential moderator variables and the implications for clinical practice are discussed.