Mental health, coping and family-functioning in parents of young people with obsessive-compulsive disorder and with anxiety disorders

Derisley, J., Libby, S., Clark, S. and Reynolds, S. (2011) Mental health, coping and family-functioning in parents of young people with obsessive-compulsive disorder and with anxiety disorders. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 44 (3). pp. 439-444. ISSN 2044-8260 doi: 10.1348/014466505X29152

Abstract/Summary

Objective. To compare mental health, coping and family-functioning in parents of young people with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), anxiety disorders, and no known mental health problems. Method. Parents of young people with OCD (N=28), other anxiety disorders (N=28), and no known mental health problems (N=62) completed the Brief Symptom Inventory (Derogatis, 1993), the Coping Responses Inventory (Moos, 1990), and the McMaster family assessment device (Epstein, Baldwin, & Bishop, 1983). Results. Parents of children with OCD and anxiety disorders had poorer mental health and used more avoidant coping than parents of non-clinical children. There were no group differences in family-functioning. Conclusion. The similarities across the parents of clinically referred children suggest that there is a case for encouraging active parental involvement in the treatment of OCD in young people.