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Further Psychometric Evaluation of the Child Disgust Scale

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Abstract

This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Child Disgust Scale (CDS) among 457 youth (ages 8–17, M = 14.77 ± 1.98 years) initiating residential treatment for obsessive–compulsive disorder and anxiety disorders. Confirmatory factor analysis supported a bifactor model with two distinct factors of Disgust Avoidance and Disgust Affect, in addition to an overall General Disgust factor. Strong internal consistency was observed for the CDS total and factor scores. In addition, CDS scores demonstrated generally modest and positive correlations with child-reported obsessive–compulsive and anxiety symptoms, weaker correlations with parent-reported anxiety and child-rated impairment, and non-significant correlations with parent-rated impairment. Findings suggest that the CDS displays strong psychometric properties and is developmentally appropriate for use in pediatric clinical populations with obsessive–compulsive and anxiety disorders.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the National Institutes of Health under Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award F31 MH094095 to Alessandro De Nadai from the National Institute of Mental Health.

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Correspondence to Joshua M. Nadeau.

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Nadeau, J.M., De Nadai, A.S., Viar-Paxton, M. et al. Further Psychometric Evaluation of the Child Disgust Scale. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 48, 32–39 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-016-0650-7

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