Pediatric OCD and Its Effects on Family

A study published in the March 17, 2017 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry concludes that pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder negatively affects not only the children who suffer from it, but also their parents. At the risk of sounding snarky, anyone who has a child with OCD could’ve told you that. Still, well-conducted studies, as opposed to anecdotal evidence, are important. If nothing else, they give clinicians and researchers concrete information to reference, study and build upon in their quest to understand OCD and how to best help those whose lives are affected by it. The study had a good number of participants — 354 youth and their parents. As I read each finding in the abstract, I nodded in agreement, as my family (when my son Dan was dealing with severe OCD) fit the profile of those in the study to a tee. Not surprisingly, OCD is marked by disrupted routines, stressful social interactions for the children, and poor job performance for the parents. Everyone in the family had elevated stress and anxiety levels, though I found it interesting that there is no specific mention of siblings. As far as I know, siblings were not part of the study, but of course they are also affected by having a brother or sister with OCD. While the children with OCD often felt frustration and anger, their parents were more likely to describe feelings of sadness. I, and I’m sure many of you out there who have a child with O...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Caregivers Children and Teens Family Mental Health and Wellness OCD Parenting Psychology Research Anxious child caregiving Compulsions family support Family therapy Obsessions Obsessive Compulsive Disorder pediatric OCD Source Type: blogs