Family Profiles in Pediatric Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Abstract Objective Parental reactions to, involvement with, and impairment from, pediatric OCD are highly relevant to the disorder’s manifestation and treatment. Method Examining a host of family OCD-specific (e.g., severity, accommodation, functioning) and non-OCD-specific (e.g., family dynamics, parent capacity, parent psychopathology) variables in a sample of 243 family triads (youth, mothers, fathers) of OCD-affected youth (5-19 years old; 57% female), dependent mixture modeling was utilized to identify latent family presentation profiles. Relationship between profiles and response to group family-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) was explored in a sub-sample (n = 123). Results Results supported a four-profile solution: A) Low Impact (n = 28; 12%) characterized by low OCD-specific and non-specific impacts; B) Relational Impact (n = 68; 28%) characterized by notable disruptions in family dynamics; C) OCD Impact (n = 65; 27%) characterized by high OCD-specific impacts; and D) Dual Impact (n = 82; 34%) characterized by high OCD-specific impacts and disruptions in family dynamics. All four profiles demonstrated improvement with family-based CBT and response did not significantly differ across groups. Conclusions Four distinct profiles of OCD-affected families were identified. These profiles highlight differential OCD impact, family responses, and disruption. In the future, they may prove useful in informing treatment direction.