![]() This sequence of events would unintentionally model an unhelpful, or maladaptive, interpretation of, and reaction to, a harmless passing thought. As a result, we predicted that parents will offer directives to the child to neutralize the obsessional content (e.g., demand her son go hug his sister and/or pray). We anticipated that parents who appraise a child’s normally occurring intrusive thoughts (e.g., son’s unwanted image of stabbing his sister) as threatening (e.g., because my son had this thought, he must want to do it) will experience an increase in uncomfortable emotions (e.g., anxiety, shame). But does this pattern hold true for the parent’s interpretation of their child’s thought? Can parents’ interpretations of their children’s intrusive thoughts help explain why certain children experience persistent and worsening OCS, or develop OCS in the first place? What makes these questions so important is that they all pertain to changeable elements of the family environment, an area where further research is both critically needed (National Research Council and Institute of Medicine, 2009 Society for Prevention Research, 2004), and has the potential to make a dramatic impact on the lives of children who struggle with interfering OCS or full-blown OCD. We know that interpreting one’s own thoughts as dangerous or overly significant amplifies distress, often leads to compulsive behaviors (i.e., cognitive model of OCD Rachman 1997 1998), and can even make obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS) worse (e.g., Abramowitz, Khandker, Nelson, Deacon, & Rygwall, 2006). The boy’s mother will interpret his intrusive thoughts in some way (e.g., this thought is harmless this thought is dangerous) and may recommend some course of action to help him feel better. Crying, he explains his fears about harming his sister. The young boy has run inside and found his mother. Let’s consider the case example described on the cover. However, very little research has focused on the internal experiences and thought processes of parents when they are confronted with a child’s intrusive thoughts. Accommodating a child’s obsessive-compulsive symptoms (e.g., buying extra soap for a child who compulsively washes her hands), or attempting to control a child’s intrusive thoughts, have been shown to be ineffective and potentially harmful. Past studies have closely examined how obsessive-compulsive symptoms in children can be influenced by family behaviors (e.g., Berman, Jacoby, Sullivan, Hoeppner, Micco, & Wilhelm, 2018). To learn more about how you can contribute to the next discovery, please visit /research. Berman by the IOCDF and funded entirely by donors to our Research Grant Fund. The research in this article was made possible by a $30,000 grant awarded to Dr. Our research focuses on what happens next. He loves his baby sister and doesn’t want to hurt her. ![]() I might stab my sister with them.” Although the boy has had strange thoughts before, this thought really scares him and he can’t get it out of his head. Suddenly a thought crosses his mind: “Those look sharp. As the boy plays, his eye catches the sun’s reflection off his mother’s pruning shears. A few garden tools are leaning up against a painted shed nearby. ![]() RESEARCH MADE POSSIBLE BY THE IOCDF RESEARCH GRANT FUNDĪ child, age eight, is playing in his backyard on a summer afternoon. “Should I Be Scared?” Examining Parents’ Interpretations of Children’s Unwanted Intrusive Thoughts
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