A Trial of Mindfulness-Based Skills Training Groups Versus a Waiting List Control Period for Parents of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)-Affected Youth

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a debilitating psychiatric illness that frequently begins in childhood. It is characterized by obsessions and/or compulsions that are distressing, time consuming and significantly impairing. OCD is distinct in the extent to which it disrupts family functioning, in that there is intense parental pressure to become involved in rituals and to change home environments and schedules to avoid triggers, thus accommodating the OCD. It is also well known that OCD severity tends to worsen in the context of stressful environments and situations. While effective treatment approaches for pediatric OCD have been identified, partial response and treatment refusal are all too common, leading to chronicity of both the illness itself and of its deleterious familial effects.

The investigators plan to study a novel approach to help manage the stress of parenting a child with OCD, thus facilitating more effective resistance to OCD family accommodation and supporting the child in fighting this difficult illness. The investigators will explore the role of group-based mindfulness-based skills training (P-MBST) in supporting parents of OCD-affected youth, in particular investigating the possibility that increased distress tolerance as a result of mindfulness practice may help parents reduce OCD accommodation.