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. Clinical trial registration number NCT03212703. Highlights: First study of parent-focused mindfulness-based skills training in pediatric OCD. Feasibility of this intervention was confirmed, with high parent satisfaction. Parent ability to tolerate the child's distress improved and was sustained. Past participation in family-based CBT was associated with greater overall gains. Parent mindfulness training is a promising complementary approach in pediatric OCD.