Do mothers enhance responsibility in children with obsessive-compulsive disorder? A preliminary study of mother-child interactions during a problem solving discussion

► Mother-child dyads of children with OCD did not differ from non-clinical dyads, on mother or child behavioural dimensions. ► Mothers of children with OCD were rated as enhancing their child's responsibility significantly more than their own responsibility, and more than mothers of children with no diagnosis during a 5-min problem solving discussion task. ► The solutions generated during discussions between children with OCD and their mothers were more likely to implicate the child as being responsible for resolving the situation, compared to the non-clinical group. ► These preliminary findings suggest a developmental-familial interaction that might enhance responsibility biases in children with OCD.