The impact of family on Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in children and adolescents: Development, maintenance, and family psychological treatment

It is widely recognized that some parental characteristics can influence obsessive compulsive disorders in children and adolescents. Family involvement and parental style characterized by high expressed emotion, over-protection, over-control are associated with the development of obsessive compulsive disorders in children. As a consequence, family involvement in the treatment of youth with obsessive compulsive disorders has been widely suggested. Although various forms of family therapy are used, cognitive behavioural treatment is widely recognized as the first-line treatment of paediatric obsessive compulsive disorders. Despite several studies reveal efficacy of family therapy, it has been underlined that more than an half of children remain symptomatic post-treatment. In order to improve treatments for children with obsessive compulsive disorders, research has identified personal and familiar predictors of response to treatment. The clinical implications of these studies are discussed.