The University of Melbourne & The Royal Children's Hospital
Beliefs in Young People with OCD
The University of Melbourne and The Royal Children's Hospital are seeking young people aged 8-17 years who suffer from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) or another anxiety problem to take part in an international research study about the beliefs of young people with OCD.
Previous research has suggested that people with OCD have a different set of beliefs about their thoughts and specific experiences compared to other people. That is, they accept things to be true that other people do not accept to be true. Extensive research has been conducted with adults with OCD which has supported that idea. However, there has been little work done with young people. Hence this research aims to address this issue and help determine whether theories about OCD in adults are useful for younger sufferers.
We will compare three groups of people: young people with OCD, young people with an anxiety disorder other than OCD, and young people who do not have an anxiety disorder, together with the parents in each group. The age range for the young people is 8-17 years. Participants (parents and young people) will meet with the research clinician for one session to complete some questionnaires, a structured clinical interview, and to join in a brief family discussion. It is expected that the session will take around 90 minutes to complete. Participants will be reimbursed for any travel costs incurred and those with anxiety problems will be offered a summary of their assessment results to assist with future treatment.
The project is part of a larger study being undertaken by the Obsessive Compulsive Cognitions Working Group (OCCWG), an active international consortium of clinical researchers who are dedicated to the study of the cognitive aspects of OCD. The OCCWG has been very successful in generating methods for assessing and treating cognitive interpretations and beliefs associated with OCD in adults and are currently validating comparable measures for young people with OCD. Data collected from this project will be shared with the OCCWG, providing them with an Australian perspective on the experiences of young people with OCD and ensuring that our research makes a worthwhile contribution to international understanding of OCD in children and adolescents.
For more information or to express your interest in participating, please contact:
Ms Lauren Phelan
Graduate student, Child Clinical Psychology Doctoral programme
Department of Psychology
University of Melbourne
Ph: 0419 372 287
Email: phelan@unimelb.edu.au
Ms Margie Richardson
Senior Clinical Psychologist
Department of Psychology
Royal Children's Hospital
Ph: (03) 9345 5969
Email: margie.richardson@rch.org.au