Parenting and obsessive compulsive symptoms: Implications of authoritarian parenting

Cognitive behavioral theories of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) have hypothesized a central role of social learning in the development of OCD. Research indicates that learning via key developmental relationships, such as parent-child interactions, may account for the emergence and maintenance of OC symptoms in adulthood. Baumrind identified three parental authority prototypes or styles, including permissive, authoritative, and authoritarian, that differ on the two dimensions of nurture and behavioral control. Permissive parents allow their children to do as they wish with little discipline, whereas authoritative parents implement reasonable guidelines while still providing a warm and nurturing environment. The third style, authoritarian, represents parenting that is rigid and values strict adherence to rules with lower levels of nurturing. To date, there has been no study examining these parenting styles and OCD symptomatology. The current investigation examined the relationships between parenting styles, obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptoms, and OC-related dysfunctional beliefs (i.e., "obsessive beliefs") in a nonclinical sample ( N = 227). Participants completed measures of these constructs, as well as a measure of general mood and anxiety symptoms. Results indicated that the authoritarian parenting style was significantly associated with both OC symptoms and OC beliefs (e.g., beliefs about the importance of thoughts and personal responsibility), even after controlling for general distress. Analyses also revealed that OC beliefs act as a partial mediator of the relationship between parenting style and OC symptoms. Findings are discussed in light of the implications for future research, particularly that pertaining to risk for OCD and the development of vulnerability factors. Keywords : obsessions ; compulsions ; obsessive-compulsive disorder ; parenting styles ; authoritarian parenting ; dysfunctional beliefs Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a heterogeneous psychological disorder characterized by recurrent and distressing intrusive thoughts, images, or impulses (obsessions) that provoke anxiety and distress and repetitive behaviors (compulsions) performed to reduce this distress. Obsessions and compulsions may concern various themes, with the most common being contamination, harm or injury, sex, religion, violence, and order/symmetry ( McKay et al., 2004 ). Historically considered a rare disorder, epidemiological findings now indicate that OCD has a lifetime prevalence of approximately 1.6% to 3.5% ( Angst et al., 2004 ; Kessler et al., 2005 ). Research conducted during the last few decades has dramatically expanded our understanding of the phenomenology and treatment of OCD, yet many mechanisms and factors involved in the etiology and maintenance of this disorder remain unknown. Biologically based investigations, including family and twin studies, have provided evidence for the role of genetics in the development of OCD ( van Grootheest, Cath, Beekman, & Boomsma, 2005 , 2007 ; van Grootheest et al., 2008 ). What has also emerged from this research is that any number of environmental factors, working either in conjunction with one another or as modulators of certain genotypes, may play an additional role in the etiology of OCD. With respect to specific environmental factors that could be involved in the development of OCD, research has slowly begun to identify a number of variables that fall within the broad category of psychosocial factors, including certain beliefs ( Obsessive-Compulsive Cognitions Working Group [OCCWG], 2003 ), trauma ( Cromer, Schmidt, & Murphy, 2007 ), and environmental agents such as bacterial infections ( Swedo et al., 1998 ). The present study focused on another possible factor: parenting styles. Cognitive behavioral models of anxiety disorders, including OCD, posit that social learning plays a central role in the development of these conditions ( Manassis, Bradley, Goldberg, Hood, & Swinson, 1994 ; Vasey & Dadds, 2001 ). …