177344 Expressed Emotion in Parent-Child Dyads

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Leonard Fraser, BA , Department of Social Work, Howard University, Washington, DC
Heywan Tesfaye , Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
Marco Antonio Grados, MD, MPH , Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
Background: Expressed Emotion (EE) is the emotional valence expressed in the parent-child dyad. EE can be rated as ‘high EE” denoting criticism/hostility (C/H) or emotional overinvolvement (EOI) in the dyad or as “low EE” denoting the absence of C/H or EOI.

Methods: To determine ratings of EE in parent-child dyads in two groups, parents of children with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and children with no significant psychopathology (Controls) completed the five-minute speech sample (FMSS). The FMSS was transcribed and rated by inspection of phrases that denote either C/H or EOI according to the FMSS manual.

Results: 22 subjects were coded for C/H and EOI using the FMSS by 2 raters. Of 15 parents with OCD, 8/15 (53%) were rate as “high EE” while of 7 control parents, only 2/7 (29%) were rated as “high EE” (Fisher's exact = 0.648). While the results are not statistically significant due to the low current numbers, there is a clear excess of “high EE” in the case parental group using this simple method.

Conclusions: The FMSS can be used in parent-child dyads to rate emotional valence in the relationship with a simple 5-minute audio recording coded by raters taking into account written transcripts.

Learning Objectives:
1. Recognize expressed emotion (EE) as a construct in family dyads 2. Identify the five-minute speech sample as a method to rate EE 3. Discuss the high EE rating in families with a child with obsessive-compulsive disorder

Keywords: Family Involvement, Adult and Child Mental Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I entered data, processed information and interpreted results.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

See more of: Mental Health Section Posters VI
See more of: Mental Health