A Comparison of religious-spiritual well-being, dark personality and parenting anxiety in mothers with and without children with obsessive-compulsive disorder

The aim of this study was to compare religious-spiritual well-being, dark personality and parenting anxiety in mothers with and without children with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

The research design was causal-comparative, and the statistical population included all mothers with and without children with obsessive-compulsive disorder whose children were in the age group of 7 to 16 years in Isfahan city in 2020. A sample of 100 people (50 mothers with children with obsessive-compulsive disorder and 50 mothers without children with obsessive-compulsive disorder) was selected through a targeted and accessible sampling method. Data collection tools included the Maudsley's obsessive-compulsive disorder questionnaire (1977) (for sample group selection), Allport's religious-spiritual orientation (1968), Jonason & Webster's dark personality (Dark Triad) questionnaire (2010), and Abidin's parenting stress questionnaire (1990). Data were analyzed using SPSS-24 and an independent t-test.

The results of this study indicate that in the variables of religious-spiritual well-being, dark personality and their components, mothers without children with obsessive-compulsive disorder have significantly higher scores than mothers with children with obsessive-compulsive disorder. In another result, it can be stated that in parenting anxiety and its components, mothers with children with obsessive-compulsive disorder scored significantly higher than mothers without children with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

The results of this study are effective in explaining the psychological mechanisms of parents with children with obsessive-compulsive disorder and can help therapists and researchers.