Mindfulness-based skills training group for parents of obsessive-compulsive disorder-affected children: A caregiver-focused intervention

Background and purpose: Parents of children with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) report significant emotional and socio-occupational impacts. There is, however, currently insufficient support for these parents. This study examined a mindfulness-based intervention for parents of OCD-affected children, investigating its feasibility and impact on parental ability to tolerate their child's OCD-related distress, in addition to exploring potential indirect effects. Materials and methods: Parents of OCD-affected children (n = 39) completed an eight-week baseline observation period followed by eight, weekly manualized mindfulness-based intervention group sessions. Measures of parental tolerance of child distress, dispositional mindfulness, family accommodation, family functioning, and OCD symptom severity were collected. Results: In comparison to the baseline observation period, parental tolerance of child distress and dispositional mindfulness significantly improved following mindfulness training. No other temporal differences were observed. Parents reported high satisfaction. Conclusion: Mindfulness-based skills training for parents of OCD-affected youth appears to be feasible and to significantly increase tolerance related to the child's distress.