The role of parent-child interaction patterns in the development of obsessive-compulsive disorder: A literature review study

Parent-child interaction styles have always been considered one of the main reasons for the development of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Meanwhile, parent-child interaction patterns effective in the development of OCD haven’t been widely studied. Therefore, the main objective of the current study is to systematically review parent-child interaction styles influential in the development of OCD.

The statistical population of the study includes all the papers indexed in PubMed, Science Direct, PsychNet, Magiran, and SID databases published from 2000 to 2018. The papers went through two screening stages and then they were investigated based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria using purposed sampling, through which 16 papers were selected as the final sample of the study. The main data collection method was the qualitative review of the content of the papers based on the main question of the study.

After selecting the final papers, 15 components were extracted, ultimately categorized into five classes of components influential in the development of OCD. These classes included parental flexibility, parental support, parental care, control, and cold relations.  

Based on the results of the study, parent-child interaction styles play a major role in the development of OCD, and they can be used as an effective predictor for the development of this disorder.