PREDICTORS OF FAMILY ACCOMMODATION ACROSS FEAR-BASED DISORDERS

PREDICTORS OF FAMILY ACCOMMODATION ACROSS FEAR-BASED DISORDERS Public Deposited

Last Modified

Creator

Reuman, Lillian
- Affiliation: College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience

Abstract

Fear-based disorders (FBDs) are associated with significant caregiver burden and family distress. Specifically, symptom accommodation is ubiquitous in families with relatives affected by FBDs, yet no study to date has examined potential psychological predictors of symptom accommodation across diagnoses and relatives. The current study examined psychological predictors (e.g., empathic concern) of symptom accommodation among co-residing relatives of individuals diagnosed with FBDs. Participants (n = 49) completed a series of clinical interviews via phone and an online self-report battery between November 2014 and October 2015. Study hypotheses were partially supported, as results showed that accommodation occurred to similar degrees across relatives with various relationships and FBDs. Further, empathic concern and expressed emotion emerged as marginally significant predictors of symptom accommodation. Study findings, limitations, and future directions are discussed.

Date of publication