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Parental Experiences of Having a Child with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Associations with Clinical Characteristics and Caregiver Adjustment

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Abstract

We examined parental experience of having a child with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in 62 parent–child dyads. Youth with a primary diagnosis of OCD and their parent(s) were administered the CY-BOCS jointly by a trained clinician. Parents completed several measures about their child’s OCD-related impairment and accommodation, emotional and behavioral functioning, parental distress, caregiver stress, and parental experiences of having a child with OCD. Results indicated that parents of children with OCD are considerably distressed about their child’s condition. As expected, negative parental experiences (e.g., anxiety about child’s condition, uncertainty about their future) were directly related to OCD symptom severity and impairment, as well as child internalizing and externalizing problems, family accommodation of symptoms, and caregiver strain. The presence of emotional resources was negatively related to most outcomes, although some of these relationships did not achieve statistical significance. The presence of internalizing symptoms mediated the relationship between parental experiences and parental distress. Given these findings, addressing parental experiences as part of a family based cognitive-behavioral treatment program for pediatric OCD may help reduce parental distress and improve patient prognosis.

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Acknowledgments

We acknowledge the efforts of the following individuals: Wayne K. Goodman, Marni Jacob, Valerie Crawford, and Joseph Brand. This study was supported by a grant to Dr. Storch from the National Institute of Health (L40 MH081950-02).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, University of South Florida, 800 6th Street South 4th Floor North, St. Petersburg, FL, 33701, USA

    Eric A. Storch, Steven L. Pence Jr. & Tanya K. Murphy

  2. Department of Psychiatry, University of South Florida, 800 6th Street South 4th Floor North, St. Petersburg, FL, 33701, USA

    Eric A. Storch & Tanya K. Murphy

  3. Department of Pediatrics, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA

    Heather Lehmkuhl

  4. Department of Psychiatry, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA

    Gary R. Geffken

  5. Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, USA

    Emily Ricketts

  6. Department of Special Education, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA

    Jill F. Storch

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  1. Eric A. Storch
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  2. Heather Lehmkuhl
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Correspondence to Eric A. Storch.

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Storch, E.A., Lehmkuhl, H., Pence, S.L. et al. Parental Experiences of Having a Child with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Associations with Clinical Characteristics and Caregiver Adjustment. J Child Fam Stud 18, 249–258 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-008-9225-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-008-9225-y

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