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christian counseling today
Vol. 20 no. 2
Family Factors and Treatment
Outcomes for OCD
Peris, T.S., Sugar, C.A., Bergman, L., Chang
S., Langley, A. & Piacentini, J. (2012). Family
Factors Predict Treatment Outcome for
Pediatric Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.
Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology
,
80 (2), 255-263. DOI: 10.1037/a0027084.
This was a study that considered
various family factors, such as family
conflict and parental blame, as possible
predictors of treatment outcomes for
minor clients diagnosed with obsessive-
compulsive disorder (OCD) who were
being seen in family-focused cognitive
behavioral therapy (FCBT). Partici-
pants in the study were drawn from a
larger clinical trial that was comparing
FCBT to relaxation training and psy-
choeducation. Forty-nine youth ranging
in age from eight to 17 years (aver-
age age of 12.4 years; SD = 2.6 years)
and their families had been assigned to
either FCBT or the relaxation training/
psychoeducation material. The FCBT
approach involved 12, 90-minute ses-
sions over 14 weeks (60 minutes of
individual child treatment and 30 min-
utes of family treatment with a focus on
reducing blame, limit setting, identify-
ing barriers to treatment, and so on).
After controlling for severity of
OCD symptoms at the start of treat-
ment, it was reported that families
with lower levels of family conflict and
parental blame and higher levels of fam-
ily cohesion at the start of treatment
had better treatment outcomes. Families
with higher levels of dysfunction at the
start of treatment did not do as well.
As the researchers observed, “These
findings speak to the important role of
the family in treatment for childhood
OCD, providing preliminary evidence
that negative family dynamics may
attenuate clinical outcomes” (p. 260).
Christian counselors can benefit
from assessing multiple aspects of fam-
ily functioning prior to providing ser-
vices. As the researchers conclude, this
may help identify both family strengths
and weaknesses heading into treatment.
Blame, conflict, and cohesion all appear
to be important—with family cohesion
being especially critical—and could be
addressed in the context of providing
counseling services.
Attachment-based
Interventions and OCD
Rezvan, S., Bahrami, F., Abedi, M., Macieod,
C., Doost, H.T.N. & Ghasemi, V. (2013). A
Preliminary Study on the Effects of Attachment-
based Intervention on Pediatric Obsessive-
Compulsive Disorder.
International Journal of
Preventive Medicine
, 4 (1), 78-87.
This study examined the efficacy of
attachment-based intervention in a
«
Mark A . Yarhouse , Psy.D.
research digest
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
