An Investigation of the Relationship between Perceived Parental Rearing Style, Mentalization and Self Ambivalence in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

Despite numerous theories of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) there remains a lack of empirical research exploring the developmental origins of obsessionality. This study therefore sought to build on the recent convergence of cognitive and psychodynamic approaches to further investigate OCD. Specifically this study explored whether people with OCD differed in terms of their perceived parental rearing styles, self-ambivalence and ability to mentalize. Furthermore, it also aimed to explore whether there was any relationship between these factors and obsessive-compulsiveness. A cross-sectional questionnaire design was used with three groups which included 34 individuals whose primary problem was OCD, 64 individuals whose primary problem was an anxiety problem that was not OCD and a non-anxious control group consisting of 38 participants. Participants completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale as a measure of mood, the Padua Inventory Washington State Inventory Revision as a measure of obsessionality, The Parental Bonding Instrument to assess recollections of parental rearing styles, The Self-Ambivalence Measure and the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test as a proxy measure of mentalization. The OCD and anxiety groups were found to report recollections of reduced care and increased overprotection by their parents. The OCD group were also found be significantly more self-ambivalent than the other groups. No differences were found between the groups in terms of ability to mentalize. Furthermore, self-ambivalence was found to partially mediate the relationship between parental rearing style and obsessionality. The results of this study contribute a mechanism for translating parental rearing experiences in to later obsessionality