Although research supports cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) as the treatment of choice for childhood obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and recommends family involvement (e.g., AACAP, 1998; Barrett, Healey-Farrell, & March, 2004a), little is known about the role of the family in the development, maintenance, and treatment of childhood OCD. Furthermore, although significant improvements are found in treatment response, many children remain symptomatic (de Haan, 2006). Objective: The aims of the study were to examine (1) the perceptions of the family environment among family members and if child perceptions change with treatment and (2) treatment response and child and family characteristics that may predict treatment response. Gender differences were also examined. Method: This study involved 82 children (ages 8 to 17 years) receiving CBT for OCD and a concurrent parent program. Children and parents were assessed at initial, pre-, and post-treatment with questionnaires, a symptom severity interview, a family environment questionnaire, and child self-report measures of anxiety and depression. Pre-treatment data were used for the prediction of treatment response. Results: Child and parent perceptions of the family environment differ in terms of family expressiveness, with children perceiving their family as being ‘distressed.’ Although girls and boys had similar perceptions of their family environment, girls’ perceptions were more in agreement with their parents than boys. Children’s ratings of family cohesiveness were ‘normal’ at pre-treatment, and increased significantly at post-treatment; however, this was not meaningful when gender was considered. We found a similar treatment response to past research. Different characteristics were found to predict treatment response for boys and girls, with more predictors being identified for girls. Conclusions: Results emphasize the importance that families may have in the treatment of OCD and in our attempt to find predictors, as well as the need to examine boys and girls separately. This research is critical to refine and tailor treatment techniques to match child and family characteristics.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:OTU.1807/29936 |
| Date | 31 August 2011 |
| Creators | Scully, Jenifer |
| Contributors | Mendlowitz, Sandra |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | en_ca |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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