A teenage girl in a white shirt and gray leggings sits on her bed with her head down and knees pulled close, appearing distressed. This could symbolize the stress that missionaries can face with religious scrupulosity.

You may be worried because your child is excessively worried about whether they’ve done the right thing or whether they’re a good person. They spent hours asking you to reassure them that everything is ok, or maybe they’ve been wanting to go to the bishop every week to confess things that don’t seem like a big deal to anyone else. These behaviors could be symptoms of a form of obsessive-compulsive disorder known as scrupulosity. Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE), a parent-based intervention developed at Yale University, offers a compassionate and effective approach to addressing these symptoms in a way that is sensitive to the values and standards of Latter-day Saint families.

Understanding Scrupulosity in the LDS Context

In the Latter-day Saint faith, striving for personal righteousness and maintaining high moral standards are core principles. However, for individuals with scrupulosity, this can translate into excessive guilt, repetitive confessing, compulsive prayer, and constant fear of being unworthy or sinful. Recognizing the distinction between healthy religious devotion and scrupulous behavior is the first step for parents to help their children learn to manage these anxieties.

What is SPACE?

SPACE is an evidence-based treatment designed to help parents reduce their accommodation of a child's anxiety symptoms. Rather than focusing on the child's behavior directly, SPACE empowers parents to make supportive yet firm changes in their responses to anxiety-driven behaviors. This approach is particularly suitable for addressing scrupulosity, as it allows parents to help children make healthy decisions about their faith while reducing anxiety-related compulsions.

There are several important steps in using the SPACE approach to support children, teens and young adults with scrupulosity.

Identifying Accommodating Behaviors:

A young woman wearing a red plaid shirt and glasses sits in a church pew, hands clasped in prayer, with her head bowed. The blurred background of the church interior conveys deep reflection.

Parents may unknowingly reinforce scrupulous behaviors by providing constant reassurance about worthiness, accompanying children in excessive religious rituals, or facilitating frequent, unnecessary confessions. SPACE helps parents recognize these patterns.

Shifting to Supportive Responses:

Instead of offering reassurance, parents can express confidence in their child's ability to manage uncertainty. For example, when a child seeks reassurance about whether they've repented "enough," a supportive response might be, "I know it's hard to feel unsure, but I believe you can handle that feeling without needing to go over it again."

Creating a Plan to Reduce Accommodations:

Parents, with guidance from a therapist, develop a structured plan to gradually reduce their involvement in the child's compulsive behaviors. This might include setting boundaries around how often a child can discuss specific religious concerns or limiting participation in repetitive rituals.

Addressing Religious Concerns Respectfully:

SPACE emphasizes validating the child's feelings while maintaining boundaries. Parents can affirm the importance of their child's faith while differentiating between genuine spiritual practices and anxiety-driven compulsions.

Monitoring Progress and Adjusting:

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As parents reduce accommodations, children may initially experience increased anxiety. SPACE teaches parents how to navigate this "extinction burst" while staying consistent in their supportive responses. Over time, the child learns to tolerate uncertainty and reduce compulsive behaviors.

Start SPACE Treatment in California and Utah

Scrupulosity can deeply impact the spiritual and emotional well-being of Latter-day SSaint youth, but with the right support, it is possible to manage these symptoms effectively. SPACE provides a compassionate framework for parents to help their children navigate anxiety without compromising their religious values. By fostering resilience and reducing accommodating behaviors, families can support their children's growth in both faith and mental health. To learn more about the support that Mountain Home Center for Religious and Moral OCD can offer, follow these steps:

Schedule a consultation using our contact page or contact us at claire@mountainhomeocd.com.
Meet with a caring therapist
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Other Services Offered With Mountain Home Center for Religious and Moral OCD

At Mountain Home Center, I offer more than just support for moral OCD through SPACE treatment. My evidence-based treatments are designed to help you address a variety of challenges, including different OCD themes, anxiety disorders, and relationship struggles. Understanding the unique needs of Latter-day Saints and others seeking faith-compatible care, I am committed to providing compassionate and personalized support tailored to your journey. Whether you’re managing religious OCD, relationship OCD, or general anxiety, I am here to help you find balance and peace. My goal is to empower you to achieve mental well-being while staying true to your values and spiritual foundation.

Using SPACE to Treat Scrupulosity in Latter-day Saint Children, Teenagers, and Young Adults