Are fathers involved in pediatric psychology research and treatment?

Background Recently, there has been a growing awareness of theimportance of the roles of fathers in understanding normativedevelopmental processes. Increased attention has been givento the roles of fathers in the area of clinical child researchand therapy. However, the presence of fathers in research andtreatment in pediatric psychology has not been fully examined.Objective To explore the status of including fathers in bothresearch and treatment in the area of pediatric psychology.Method An extensive review of published research. Results Thefindings suggest that pediatric psychology research lags evenfarther behind clinical child research in including fathersin research designs and analyzing for maternal and paternaleffects separately. There is also a concomitant lack of inclusionof fathers in family-based interventions in pediatric psychology.Conclusion These patterns are discussed, with an emphasis onstrategies to increase the inclusion of fathers in researchand treatment of pediatric psychology issues. Future directionsfor researchers and clinicians are also included.     

The Professional Adolescence of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology and Pediatric Psychology: Grown Up and Striving for Autonomy

We review the present and future of the specialty field of clinical child and pediatric psychology. The progress in education and training, science, practice, and organizational developments in this specialty is described with attention to the special issues of the developing field. Clinical child and pediatric psychology are well positioned for continued healthy development.     

Coming of age: critical challenges to the future development of pediatric psychology

Described five professional challenges that will affect the future development of pediatric psychology: specialization and professional identity, relationships with other professions, securing resources necessary for effective functioning, the conflict between clinical service delivery and prevention, and development of training models. To meet these challenges, pediatric psychologists need to maintain strong connections with other psychologists, develop new models of collaborative training, practice, and research, emphasize prevention activities, and enhance the scientific basis of pediatric psychology through innovative training programs and support for faculty development.     

Commentary: the use of health and behavior codes in pediatric psychology: where are we now?

This article focuses on the current status of the use of Health and Behavior (H&B) codes by pediatric psychologists. We address the rationale for the use of these codes in a pediatric psychology setting, practice updates since the codes were initiated, and our experience with utilizing these codes in one pediatric hospital. We conclude with a summary of our assertions and future directions for policy and practice.     

Clinical Psychology in Academic Departments

This article discusses issues and future directions for clinical psychology in academic departments of psychology. Psychology continues to be the most popular undergraduate major and departments must better prepare them for graduate study. Budget constraints continue to impact departments, resulting in challenges such as decreasing numbers of faculty, increasing dependence on external grant funds, and accompanying distortion of the reward system for faculty contributions. Increasing specialization in clinical psychology will require difficult choices. Increasing emphasis on multidisciplinary study presents both opportunities and challenges for traditional departments of psychology. The emergence of neuroscience is having a great impact and the integration of psychology and neuroscience will be a significant issue facing clinical programs. Despite challenges, academic clinical psychology can be expected to remain resilient in the face of change.     

Training in Pediatric Psychology: Survey Results and Recommendations

Little specific information is available on the types of experiencesthat are important for training in pediatric psychology. Toaddress this need, the membership of the Society of PediatricPsychology (SPP) was surveyed regarding their views on the structureand content of training. A total of 160 completed forms werereceived, representing a return rate of approximately 32%. Surveyresults suggested that training in pediatric psychology should(a) encompass course work and applied experiences in developmentaland clinical child psychology, behavioral assessment and intervention,and child health psychology; (b) move from broad-based activitiesoccurring early in graduate training, to more specialized experienceslater on (internship and postdoc); (c) consider viewing postdoctoraltraining as a necessary step in the preparation of pediatricpsychologists. Distinctions between pediatric psychology andclinical-child and health psychology are discussed with respectto training needs.     

The Future of Children's Health Care: What Do We Do?

The current status of children's health care is examined fromnegative, positive, and neutral perspectives. In answer to thequestion posed in the title, "what do we do" about the situation,several proposals are advanced for the future of pediatric psychologyand children's health care. These include (a) orientation tothe prevention of psychological and physical problems, (b) promotionof health-enhancing life-styles, (c) collaboration with allieddisciplines in psychosocial care of children, (d) creativityin developing new and innovative service provision, and (e)diversification of activities and interests in pediatric psychology.     

Theory and concepts of prevention science as applied to clinical psychology.

This article provides an overview for this special issue on prevention science in clinical psychology. A brief historical perspective on prevention in clinical psychology is presented. An even greater emphasis on prevention in the future is related to changes in the current health-care system and their likely impact on psychological practice as we move into the next century. Conceptual and theoretical models of the prevention enterprise are addressed with a distinction drawn between health promotion and disease prevention in the areas of mental disorders and general physical health. The classification of preventive interventions is discussed and methodological challenges to outcomes research are outlined. The article concludes with a discussion of training and public policy implications and a brief overview of the other articles included in this special issue on prevention science.     

Multicultural training in pediatric and clinical child psychology predoctoral internship programs

Surveyed directors of training of pediatric and clinical child psychology predoctoral internships regarding the extent of multicultural training within their programs. Respondents completed a brief survey assessing faculty and trainee ethnic composition, recruitment of minority trainees, content of training curricula, and perceptions of barriers to multicultural training. Ratings of the importance of multicultural training and the presence of minority interns were directly related to the presence of minority faculty. Recruitment of minority trainees appears to occur largely through program announcements. Didactic seminars on multiculturalism and informal resolution of intercultural conflicts predominate internship settings with less emphasis on formal structures for addressing multicultural conflicts. Implications for internship training are discussed.     

Closing the Gaps: Developmental Psychopathology as aTraining Model for Clinical Child Psychology

Espouses developmental psychopathology as a framework for training our future leaders due to its emphasis on an ecological, transactional lifespan perspective, as well as interdisciplinary bridging and policy focus. This perspective, used as a framework for questioning and thinking about the complex interplay of psychological and social phenomena, provides a method for closing the gaps in training future psychologists as it allows for the development of niche expertise under an umbrella of the broader, ecological perspective. In an increasingly complex world of shrinking mental health dollars and growing severity of mental health problems for families and youth, clinical psychologists are needed more than ever to solve social problems. The current training paradigms in clinical child psychology programs need redirection and clarification for future psychologists to contribute meaningfully to science, practice, and policy. This article provides background in the history and influence of the developmental psychopathology perspective, as well as future implications for doctoral training programs in clinical psychology.     

Internship and postdoctoral training in pediatric and clinical child psychology: a survey

A survey was designed to obtain data from pediatric psychology,clinical child psychology, and combined training centers. Sixtyprogram directors provided identifying characteristics aboutthe facility, application information for internship and postdoctoraltraining, information on clientele and case load of trainees,and specific training information. In addition, respondentsprovided definitions of the two areas and suggested differentiatingfeatures. It was concluded that the similarities are more numerousthan are the differences in training. Definitions suggest that(a) clinical child psychology has broader application than pediatricpsychology despite the latter's broader principles of application,and (b) pediatric psychologists rely heavily on the traditionalskills and techniques of clinical child psychology. The onlydifferentiating features identified were in terms of medicallyrelated populations of children served, collaboration with healthcare disciplines, and a specialized focus of viewing psychologicaldifficulties within the medical culture by pediatric psychologists.     

Family Context in Pediatric Psychology: A Transactional Perspective

The degree to which the family is seen as a significant contributorto child health conditions impacts directly on the successfulfunctioning of the pediatric psychologist. A transactional modelof family functioning is proposed for pediatric psychology.Development is considered to be the result of a three-part processthat starts with child behavior that triggers family interpretationthat produces a parental response. Family interpretation ispresented as part of a regulatory system that includes familyparadigms, family stories, and family rituals. Correspondingto the proposed three-part regulation model, three forms ofintervention are discussed: remediation, redefinition, and reeducation.Clinical decision making based on this model is outlined withexamples given from different treatment approaches. Implicationsfor the treatment of families in pediatric psychology are discussed.     

'Don't mention obesity': contradictions and tensions in the UK Change4Life health promotion campaign

The emphasis on body weight and the terms 'fat', 'overweight' and 'obese' are increasingly political in public health promotion. The UK government's 2009-2011 social marketing campaign, Change4Life explicitly avoids the term 'obesity' and imagery that connotes it, despite the emphasis on obesity in the preceding research, policy and strategy. Using a critical health psychology perspective, this research explores the tensions arising from the omission of 'obesity' in the Change4Life campaign. We argue the justifications for omitting obesity are at times contrary to evidence that informed the campaign. Considerations are offered for the construction of future health promotion campaigns.     

Structural equation modeling in pediatric psychology: overview and review of applications

OBJECTIVE: To describe the use of structural equation modeling (SEM) in the Journal of Pediatric Psychology (JPP) and to discuss the usefulness of SEM applications in pediatric psychology research. METHOD: The use of SEM in JPP between 1997 and 2006 was examined and compared to leading journals in clinical psychology, clinical child psychology, and child development. RESULTS: SEM techniques were used in <4% of the empirical articles appearing in JPP between 1997 and 2006. SEM was used less frequently in JPP than in other clinically relevant journals over the past 10 years. However, results indicated a recent increase in JPP studies employing SEM techniques. CONCLUSIONS: SEM is an under-utilized class of techniques within pediatric psychology research, although investigations employing these methods are becoming more prevalent. Despite its infrequent use to date, SEM is a potentially useful tool for advancing pediatric psychology research with a number of advantages over traditional statistical methods.     

A Perspective on Behavioral Medicine and Pediatric Psychology

During the past 200 years and continuing over the last decade,huge strides have been made toward improvement in the education,welfare, and health of children. These strides include increasedknowledge about the behavior and needs of children in hospitals.However, much remains to be done, and pediatric psychology andbehavioral medicine have roles to play in future advances inthese fields.     

A Contextual Family/Systems Approach to Pediatric Psychology: Introduction to the Special Issue

Introduced the special issue on "Family System in PediatricPsychology" by organizing the papers around a series of themesrelevant to understanding families in pediatric psychology.Themes reflect the relationships between parent and child adjustment,family subsystems, legacies and traditions, social support systems,family interventions, the constancy of change in families, thechallenges of conducting longitudinal research, the inclusionof fathers, and the importance of a competency framework inpediatric family psychology. The paper concludes with recommendationsfor pediatric family psychology, including suggestions for increasingdiversity, expanding methodological approaches, and enhancingfamily competence.     

Psychosocial functioning in pediatric cancer

OBJECTIVE: To describe the emergence of pediatric psycho-oncology and to summarize research on psychosocial aspects of childhood cancer and survivorship. METHODS: To review research into illness communication and informed consent, procedural pain, late effects, psychological distress, coping and adjustment, and special risk populations. Methodological challenges, appropriate methodology, and directions for future research are discussed. RESULTS: The past 30 years have seen change from avoidance of communication about cancer to an emphasis on straightforward discussion of diagnosis and prognosis. Behavioral research has led to interventions to reduce procedural distress. Late effects have been observed in social functioning. Although average levels of distress in survivors of pediatric cancer are typical, subsets of more vulnerable patients and family members exist. Factors predicting positive and negative coping have been identified. CONCLUSIONS: As the numbers of pediatric cancer survivors increase, psychosocial researchers will be better able to conduct longitudinal studies not only of adjustment and its predictors but also of the impact of the emerging medical treatments and interventions to ameliorate late effects of treatment. Additional funding, improving methodology, and multi-institutional cooperation will aid future pediatric psycho-oncology investigators.     

Society of pediatric psychology task force report: recommendations for the training of pediatric psychologists

OBJECTIVE: To provide an overview of the types of training experiences considered most important to the development of competency in pediatric psychology. METHODS: This is the work of a task force commissioned by the Society of Pediatric Psychology, Division 54 of the American Psychological Association. RESULTS: Twelve topic areas, adapted from Roberts et al. (1998), deemed important for obtaining knowledge and expertise in pediatric psychology, were identified. These topics include life span developmental psychology; life span developmental psychopathology; child, adolescent, and family assessment; intervention strategies; research methods and systems evaluation; professional, ethical, and legal issues pertaining to children, adolescents, and families; issues of diversity; the role of multiple disciplines in service-delivering systems; prevention, family support, and health promotion; social issues affecting children, adolescents, and families; consultant and liaison roles; and disease process and medical management. Each area is briefly described and recommendations for obtaining training in these areas are offered. CONCLUSIONS: The Society of Pediatric Psychology offers this document as a comprehensive review of the ideal types of training experiences most important to developing competencies in pediatric psychology. These recommendations can be used by graduate students and graduate programs in shaping a training plan for students interested in pediatric psychology training.     

Trends in studies of prosocial behavior

The present article provides an analysis of past trends and recent developments in studies of prosocial behavior which began in the latter half of the 1960s. Particular emphasis is placed on studies relating to the subsequent bystander effect, the development of decision-making models incorporating interactions of various factors, empathy, perspective-taking, and prosocial moral judgment as an important mediating factor in motivation, including the viewpoint of self-perception. The article concludes by considering the relevance of studies of prosocial behavior to psychology at large and the directions such studies might take in the future.     

Pediatric Psychology Training: An Analysis of Graduate, Internship, and Postdoctoral Programs

The field of pediatric psychology is in the early stages offormulating its own identity relative to other areas, such asclinical child and health psychology. This paper complementsother recent efforts to delineate training practices and guidelines.Questionnaires regarding doctoral, internship, and postdoctoraltraining experiences were obtained from 89% of the membershipof the Society of Pediatric Psychology. From this information,rankings of the most commonly attended programs at each traininglevel were derived. Some overlap was apparent between doctoralprograms that were conducive to training in pediatric and clinicalchild psychology; however, differences between programs in theseareas also were noted. The most commonly attended internshipand postdoctoral settings were those in major medical centersor children's hospitals. Suggestions for investigating the currentstatus of predoctoral, internship, and postdoctoral programsthat may be facilitative of training in pediatric psychologyare discussed.