Parents’ experiences of a preventive intervention for children at risk of obsessive-compulsive disorder: a qualitative study

Parents’ experiences of a preventive intervention for children at risk of obsessive-compulsive disorder: a qualitative study | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Parents’ experiences of a preventive intervention for children at risk of obsessive-compulsive disorder: a qualitative study Klara Olofsdotter Lauri, Julia Peterson, Johanna Nilsson, Matti Cervin, and 3 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9427797/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 6 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Background: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) often emerges in childhood. Many children do not receive support until symptoms have been impairing for years. Targeted preventive approaches may therefore be valuable, particularly for children with early obsessive-compulsive symptoms or a family history of OCD. A brief online program has recently been developed to support parents of children at elevated risk of OCD, but little is known about how parents experience engaging with such a preventive intervention. Methods: This qualitative study explored parents’ experiences of participating in the online prevention program. Nine parents of children aged 5-11 years were purposively sampled to represent different risk profiles (subclinical symptoms, familial risk, or both). Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted after program completion and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis by two researchers. Results: Two overarching themes were identified. “Accessibility and design features facilitating engagement” captured how parents experienced the digital, flexible format as lowering practical barriers and enabling integration of the program into everyday family life. “Changes in understanding and parental responses” described shifts in how parents interpreted early OCD-related behaviors, family accommodation, and their own responses. Conclusions: Parents perceived the online preventive program as accessible, relevant, and supportive of both understanding OCD and changing their behavioral responses. The findings support a refinement of the intervention by extending its duration, incorporating more in-depth content, and clarifying its focus on children with early OCD symptoms. These refinements will strengthen the program’s suitability as an early preventive intervention for families at risk of pediatric OCD. Prevention early intervention obsessive-compulsive disorder parent-support Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files COREQChecklist.pdf Interviewguide.docx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Reviewers agreed at journal 20 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 19 Apr, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 19 Apr, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 19 Apr, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 16 Apr, 2026 First submitted to journal 15 Apr, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9427797","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":623679128,"identity":"c0cff89a-08da-4be9-beb4-0e88f09c6e7b","order_by":0,"name":"Klara Olofsdotter Lauri","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Karolinska Institutet","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Klara","middleName":"Olofsdotter","lastName":"Lauri","suffix":""},{"id":623679130,"identity":"35a96a1f-dca5-4359-a000-2d71ca9e1808","order_by":1,"name":"Julia Peterson","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Karolinska Institutet \u0026 Stockholm Health 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Many children do not receive support until symptoms have been impairing for years. Targeted preventive approaches may therefore be valuable, particularly for children with early obsessive-compulsive symptoms or a family history of OCD. A brief online program has recently been developed to support parents of children at elevated risk of OCD, but little is known about how parents experience engaging with such a preventive intervention.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMethods:\u003c/strong\u003e This qualitative study explored parents’ experiences of participating in the online prevention program. Nine parents of children aged 5-11 years were purposively sampled to represent different risk profiles (subclinical symptoms, familial risk, or both). Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted after program completion and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis by two researchers.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eResults:\u003c/strong\u003e Two overarching themes were identified. \u003cem\u003e“Accessibility and design features facilitating engagement”\u003c/em\u003e captured how parents experienced the digital, flexible format as lowering practical barriers and enabling integration of the program into everyday family life. \u003cem\u003e“Changes in understanding and parental responses”\u003c/em\u003e described shifts in how parents interpreted early OCD-related behaviors, family accommodation, and their own responses.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConclusions:\u003c/strong\u003e Parents perceived the online preventive program as accessible, relevant, and supportive of both understanding OCD and changing their behavioral responses. The findings support a refinement of the intervention by extending its duration, incorporating more in-depth content, and clarifying its focus on children with early OCD symptoms. 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