Table 1.

Item content of and loadings on the eight factors that constitute the best fitting model to explain the variance in the total score of the 22 items from the questionnaire of obsessive-compulsive symptoms that was completed by 650 participants from the PNC cohort.

Factor 1	Impairment	(14.63% of the variance in the total score explained)
Items		Factor loadings
OCD024	Did these thoughts and behaviors prevent you from doing things you normally would do?	0.537
OCD025	Did having these thoughts or behaviors bother you a lot?	0.717
OCD032	You told me (insert endorsed thoughts/behaviors). How much did having these thoughts/behaviors upset or bother you? How much did you ever feel upset or disappointed with yourself because of your thoughts/behaviors?	0.741
OCD033	How much did the thoughts/behaviors you have told me about cause problems for you at home, at school/work, or with your family or friends?	0.716
OCD034	Did you stay home from school/work because of your behaviors/thoughts?	0.339
Factor 2	Symmetry/counting/ordering	(10.58% of the variance in the total score explained)
Items		Factor loadings
OCD007	Have you ever been bothered by thoughts that don't make sense to you, that come over and over again and won't go away, such as need for symmetry/exactness?	0.682
OCD012	Have you ever had to do something over and over again—that would have made you feel really nervous if you couldn't do it, like: counting?	0.588
OCD013	Have you ever had to do something over and over again—that would have made you feel really nervous if you couldn't do it, like: checking (for example, doors, locks, ovens)?	0.545
OCD016	Have you ever had to do something over and over again—that would have made you feel really nervous if you couldn't do it, like: ordering or arranging things?	0.776
OCD017	Have you ever had to do something over and over again—that would have made you feel really nervous if you couldn't do it, like: doing things over and over again at bedtime, like arranging the pillows, sheets, or other things?	0.513
Factor 3	Contamination/cleaning	(7.54% of the variance in the total score explained)
Items		Factor loadings
OCD003	Have you ever been bothered by thoughts that don't make sense to you, that come over and over again and won't go away, such as thoughts about contamination/germs/illness?	0.871
OCD011	Have you ever had to do something over and over again—that would have made you feel really nervous if you couldn't do it, like: cleaning or washing (for example, your hands, house)?	0.757
Factor 4	Aggressive taboo thoughts	(6.02% of the variance in the total score explained)
Items		Factor loadings
OCD001	Have you ever been bothered by thoughts that don't make sense to you, that come over and over again and won't go away, such as concern with harming others/self?	0.503
OCD002	Have you ever been bothered by thoughts that don't make sense to you, that come over and over again and won't go away, such as pictures of violent things?	0.845
OCD006	Have you ever been bothered by thoughts that don't make sense to you, that come over and over again and won't go away, such as forbidden/bad thoughts?	0.578
Factor 5	Repetition	(5.56% of the variance in the total score explained)
Items		Factor loadings
OCD014	Have you ever had to do something over and over again—that would have made you feel really nervous if you couldn't do it, like: getting dressed over and over again?	0.782
OCD015	Have you ever had to do something over and over again—that would have made you feel really nervous if you couldn't do it, like: going in and out a door over and over again?	0.662
Factor 6	Guilty taboo thoughts	(5.04% of the variance in the total score explained)
Items		Factor loadings
OCD004	Have you ever been bothered by thoughts that don't make sense to you, that come over and over again and won't go away, such as fear that you would do something/say something bad without intending to?	0.758
OCD005	Have you ever been bothered by thoughts that don't make sense to you, that come over and over again and won't go away, such as feelings that bad things that happened were your fault?	0.722
Factor 7	Distress	(4.68% of the variance in the total score explained)
Items		Factor loadings
OCD009	Did these thoughts continue to bother you no matter how hard you tried to get rid of them or ignore them?	0.770
OCD010	Did you try not to think about (thoughts), try to keep them out of your head, or try to push the thoughts away?	0.552
Factor 8	Religious taboo thoughts	(4.56% of the variance in the total score explained)
Items		Factor loadings
OCD008	Have you ever been bothered by thoughts that don't make sense to you, that come over and over again and won't go away, such as religious thoughts?	0.722

Taken together, the eight factors explain 58.6% of the variance in the total score of OCD symptoms in the general population from the questionnaire.