Investigation of the Relationship Between Family Accommodation, Alexithymia, and Emotional Regulation Difficulty in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Objective: The aim of the study is to explore the relationship between family accommodation, emotion regulation difficulties, and alexithymia in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Methods: The study group consisted of 107 individuals diagnosed with OCD, while the control group included 151 healthy individuals. Sociodemographic data form, Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (YBOCS), Family Accommodation Scale-Patient Version (FASPV), Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS), and Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) were used to collect data. Results: In our study, it was found that the median DERS and TAS scores of the participants were significantly higher in the OCD group than in the control group. A moderate positive correlation was found between FAS-PV and the total score of YBOCS (p=0.002, r=0.302). Statistically significant, low to moderate, positive correlations were observed between FAS-PV and the total score of DERS (p=0.001, r=0.319). Furthermore, a statistically significant, moderate to low correlation was found between YBOCS and the total score of DERS. A positive and substantial influence on FAS-PV is provided by the YBOCS variable (B=0.571, p=0.01). Conclusion: In conclusion, this study found that difficulty in emotion regulation and alexithymia levels were higher in individuals with OCD compared to healthy controls, and that family accommodation was related to both difficulties in emotion regulation and alexithymia. Finally, it was determined that difficulty in emotion regulation has a mediating effect in the relationship between family accommodation and alexithymia. It is suggested that longitudinal studies be conducted to further support the data presented by this study.