Criterion Validity and the Utility of Reactive and Proactive Aggression: Comparisons to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder,Oppositional Defiant Disorder,Conduct Disorder,and Other Measures of Functioning

Examined the criterion validity and the utility of Dodge and Coie's (1987) measure of reactive and proactive aggression. Participants were 405 children in kindergarten through 5th grade attending an urban elementary school. Examined criterion validity by testing whether reactive aggression or proactive aggression was significantly correlated with criterion measures of overall impairment as measured by the Impairment Rating Scale (Pelham, Gnagy, et al., 1996), classroom behavior as measured by a frequency count of classroom rule violations, and peer adjustment as measured by teacher ratings ofpeer behavior on the Pittsburgh Modified IOWA Conners (Pelham, Milich, Murphy, & Murphy, 1989). Examined utility by testing whether reactive aggression or proactive aggression was significantly correlated with criterion measures after controlling for each other and after controlling for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, and conduct disorder as measured by the Disruptive Behavior Disorder Rating Scales (Pelham, Gnagy, Greenslade, & Milich, 1992). Results showed good evidence of criterion validity for both reactive and proactive aggression, but mixed evidence for their utility.     

Pneumonia and respiratory infections in Down syndrome: A scoping review of the literature

Pneumonia and respiratory infections impact infants and children with Down syndrome; pneumonia is a leading cause of mortality in adults with Down syndrome. We aimed to review the literature to evaluate gaps and address key questions. A series of key questions were formulated a priori to inform the search strategy and review process; addressed prevalence, severity, etiology, risk factors, preventive methods, screening, and financial costs, potential benefits or harms of screening. Using the National Library of Medicine database, PubMed, detailed literature searches on pneumonia and respiratory infections in Down syndrome were performed. Previously identified review articles were also assessed. The quality of available evidence was then evaluated and knowledge gaps were identified. Forty‐two relevant original articles were identified which addressed at least one key question. Study details including research design, internal validity, external validity, and relevant results are presented. Pneumonia and respiratory infections are more prevalent and more severe in individuals with Down syndrome compared to healthy controls through literature review, yet there are gaps in the literature regarding the etiology of pneumonia, the infectious organism, risk factors for infection, and to guide options for prevention and screening. There is urgent need for additional research studies in Down syndrome, especially in the time of the current COVID‐19 pandemic.     

Are somatic symptoms and related distress more prevalent in Hispanic/Latino youth? Some methodological considerations.

This article comments on the current status of the anxiety literature involving Latino children and adolescents. As the 2 articles that focus on Hispanic/Latino youth in this special section independently found somatic symptoms to be more prevalent in Latino youth than other racial/ethnic groups (Pina & Silverman, this issue; Varela et al., this issue), this commentary discusses methodological considerations for guiding future anxiety research and makes suggestions for clinicians who treat Latino children and adolescents.     

Evidence-Based Psychosocial Treatments for Adolescents With Disruptive Behavior

This article updates the earlier reviews of evidence-based psychosocial treatments for disruptive behavior in adolescents (Brestan & Eyberg, 1998; Eyberg, Nelson, & Boggs, 2008), focusing primarily on the treatment literature published from 2007 to 2014. Studies were identified through an extensive literature search and evaluated using Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology (JCCAP) level of support criteria, which classify studies as well-established, probably efficacious, possibly efficacious, experimental, or of questionable efficacy based on existing evidence. The JCCAP criteria have undergone modest changes in recent years. Thus, in addition to evaluating new studies from 2007 to 2014 for this update, all adolescent-focused articles that had been included in the 1998 and 2008 reviews were reexamined. In total, 86 empirical papers published over a 48-year period and covering 50 unique treatment protocols were identified and coded. Two multicomponent treatments that integrate strategies from family, behavioral, and cognitive-behavioral therapy met criteria as well-established. Summaries are provided for those treatments, as well as for two additional multicomponent treatments and two cognitive-behavioral treatments that met criteria as probably efficacious. Treatments designated as possibly efficacious, experimental, or of questionable efficacy are listed. In addition, moderator/mediator research is summarized. Results indicate that since the prior reviews, there has been a noteworthy expansion of research on treatments for adolescent disruptive behavior, particularly treatments that are multicomponent in nature. Despite these advances, more research is needed to address key gaps in the field. Implications of the findings for future science and clinical practice are discussed.     

Life events and treatment outcomes among individuals with substance use disorders: A narrative review

Substance use disorders are characterized by a variable course, in which multiple treatment attempts and relapses are typical. Consistent with conceptualizations of substance use and relapse, life events have been implicated in contributing to poor substance use disorders treatment outcomes. However, inconsistencies in empirical findings regarding the life events-substance use disorders outcome literature have been previously observed. This review provides an updated critique of the literature since the previous review published in 1987 (O'Doherty & Davies, 1987), examining the relationship between life events and substance use disorders treatment outcome among clinical samples of individuals. Review of 18 peer-reviewed articles suggested that data on the life events-outcome relationship continue to be inconclusive. Inconsistencies across studies in the operationalization of life events and substance use treatment outcomes and lack of theoretically driven designs may be contributing to differences in findings. Recommendations for future research that will increase the clinical utility of the life events construct are provided.     

Assessment and the Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology’s Evidence Base Updates Series: Evaluating the Tools for Gathering Evidence

In 2014, Michael Southam-Gerow and Mitch Prinstein launched the Evidence Base Updates series. As invited contributors, authors of Evidence Base Updates articles offer the field an invaluable resource: regular evaluations of the latest data on tools for addressing the mental health needs of children and adolescents. Until now, authors of Evidence Base Updates articles have focused exclusively on evaluating treatment techniques. In this article, we outline how the Evidence Base Updates series will evolve to also include evaluations of assessment techniques. In our treatment-focused updates, contributors follow strict criteria when evaluating the evidence. Following these criteria allows authors of Evidence Base Updates articles to provide mental health professionals with clear “take-home messages” about the evidence underlying the treatments evaluated. Similarly, we outline the criteria that authors will follow when preparing Evidence Base Updates articles that evaluate assessments. We also highlight the formats of these articles, which will include evaluations of condition-focused measures (e.g., anxiety, conduct problems); transdiagnostic constructs (e.g., parenting, rumination); specific, widely used measures that cut across conditions; and updates on field-wide considerations regarding measurement (e.g., clinical utility, incremental validity).     

Reflecting on homework in psychotherapy: What can we conclude from research and experience?

This article examines the empirical basis of using homework in psychotherapy and then offers a synthesis of the research literature with the preceding clinical articles. We provide a practitioner-friendly review of psychotherapy process and outcome research literature, concluding that there is now sufficient evidence to support the assertion that homework assignments enhance psychotherapy outcomes. It is also clear that homework compliance is a consistently significant predictor of treatment outcome. Limitations of existing studies and future research directions are outlined, and we suggest that more specific questions are required regarding the integration of homework into therapy process. Clinical recommendations and issues in homework administration described in preceding articles are also synthesized. The research evidence and contributors to this issue converge in recommending homework within the broad context of psychotherapy and using creative ways of administering homework that is customized to the client.     

Maintaining the Social Flow of Evidence-Informed Palliative Care: Use and Misuse of YouTube

This review article is aimed to explore the use of the social media website YouTube (www.youtube.com) as an evidence resource in palliative care, for patients and caregivers, students and professionals, and providers and policy-makers in developing countries’ settings. The reviewed evidence reiterated the role of this social media website in palliative care practice, education and research in the area of cancer. Efficacy studies on impact of such media on palliative care delivery in developing countries are still lacking.     

The value of physicians’ affect-oriented communication for patients’ recall of information

ObjectiveThe aim of this paper is to discuss experimental research investigating the effect of physicians’ affect-oriented communication on patients’ recall of information provided during medical consultations, with a special focus on the mediating role of emotional stress in that relation.Methods & resultsA search of experimental research literature was conducted, resulting in six research articles experimentally investigating the relations of interest, all using a video-vignettes design. A summary of results is provided and discussed.ConclusionsThe research reviewed in this paper provides evidence for the causal and mostly positive influence of several forms of affect-oriented communication on patients’ recall of medical information. Results indicate that reducing emotional stress may not be the underlying mechanism through which physicians’ communication influences patients’ recall.Practice implicationsThe obtained insights will help educators to teach evidence-based medical communication skills and to scientifically validate the importance of these skills for patients’ recall of information. Advancing physicians’ communication skills with evidence-based training will contribute to the professionalism that is the hallmark of good quality of care.     

A critical review of the literature on fear of hypoglycemia in diabetes: Implications for diabetes management and patient education

OBJECTIVE: In many individuals with diabetes, the unpleasant symptoms and negative consequences associated with hypoglycemia may result in significant anxiety or even a fear of hypoglycemia (FoH). This fear may have significant clinical implications for diabetes management. The aim of this review is to integrate existing research on FoH (its measurement, predictors, correlates, impact and treatment) and discuss its implications for diabetes management and patient education. METHODS: A literature search was conducted using Medline and Embase. The search was limited to journal articles published in English from 1985 to 2007 inclusive. Three hundred and one abstracts were reviewed and 273 were rejected on the basis of non-relevance. In addition to the 28 papers included, six additional papers were identified by further searches and were added to this review. RESULTS: FoH appears to be a widespread phenomenon. It is measured primarily through the use of a specific scale, the Hypoglycemic Fear Survey (HFS). There are a number of factors that relate to whether an individual is likely to develop FoH including whether there is a history of hypoglycemia in an individual, length of time since first insulin treatment, and a higher level of variability in blood glucose level. FoH has been linked to both state and trait anxiety although the relationship is complex. CONCLUSIONS: There is evidence that FoH may have a significant negative impact on diabetes management, metabolic control and subsequent health outcomes. There is evidence that blood glucose (BG) awareness training and CBT can reduce levels of fear and improve disease management. More research is needed on how FoH arises and the individual variables which predict its development. In addition, well designed research is required to better understand the behavioral and medical impact of FoH, and interventions to reduce it. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: There is some evidence to suggest that interventions including BG awareness training and cognitive behavioral therapy can reduce levels of fear and improve disease management. While many aspects of FoH require further well-designed research, it is evident that this phenomenon can have a major impact on diabetes management and needs to be specifically addressed in patient education programs.     

Effects of genetic risk information on children's psychosocial wellbeing: A systematic review of the literature

PurposeAs advances in research have made a growing number of genetic tests available, clinicians will increasingly be faced with making decisions about when offering genetic testing services to children is appropriate. A key factor in such decisions involves determining whether knowledge of genetic health risks might have an impact on children's psychosocial wellbeing.MethodsWe conducted a systematic review of the literature using five online databases to identify studies that assessed the impact of communicating nondiagnostic carrier or presymptomatic genetic test results to children.ResultsA total of 17 articles met the inclusion criteria for this review. These studies used a wide range of methodologies to explore carrier and predictive testing. Although there was little quantitative evidence that receiving genetic test results led to a significant impact on children's psychosocial wellbeing, it was found that methodological inconsistencies, small samples, and reliance on assessments most appropriate for psychopathology make any firm conclusions about the impact of genetic testing on children premature.ConclusionCurrently, there is insufficient evidence to inform a nuanced understanding of how children respond to genetic testing. This suggests a strong need for further research that uses rigorous approaches to address children's emotional states, self-perception, and social wellbeing.     

The Relationship Between Executive Attention and Dissociation in Children

SUMMARY

Dissociation involves disruption in the usually integrated functions of consciousness, memory, identity, and perception. Recent research with adults suggests that dissociation is associated with alterations in attention. Little work, however, has examined the attentional correlates of dissociation in childhood. This study is the first to investigate the specificity of cognitive functions related to dissociation in children. Twenty-four 5- to 8-year-old foster children completed several subtests of the NEPSY: A Developmental Neuropsychological Assessment (Korkman, Kirk, & Kemp, 1998) in the Executive Functioning/ Attention domain. Foster caregivers completed the Child Dissociative Checklist (Bernstein & Putnam, 1986). Consistent with the adult literature, higher levels of childhood dissociation were associated with deficits in tasks requiring inhibition, but not with tasks requiring primarily planning, strategy, or multiple rule sets.     

Dementia care in rural and remote settings: a systematic review of informal/family caregiving

Objectives

The purpose of this review is to critically evaluate the available evidence from the published scientific literature on informal/family dementia care in rural and remote settings to assess the current state of knowledge, identify support implications, and make recommendations for future research.

Methods

A systemic review of the literature indexed in ISI Web of Knowledge, PsychInfo, Medline, Healthstar, CINAHL, EMBASE, and Sociological Abstracts was conducted. Data were extracted from papers meeting inclusion criteria: peer-reviewed papers that focused on dementia or Alzheimer's Disease (AD), and examined informal or family caregiving in relation to persons with AD or dementia in remote or rural locations.

Results

The search identified 872 articles for review, reduced to 72 after removing duplicates and articles not meeting inclusion criteria. Of the 72 remaining, 26 are included in this review focusing on informal/family caregiving. A previous review focused on the 46 studies on formal/paid care. Four themes that correspond to the current state of knowledge about rural informal/family dementia caregiving in the 26 included studies were: service use, carer experience, support and education, and rural perceptions of dementia.

Conclusions

Despite the growing body of evidence over the 20 years of this review, and the widespread interest in family dementia caregiving generally, much of the research exploring family caregiving in rural areas focuses on the experience, use and barriers to formal service provision. There is limited work examining the experiences of rural caregivers and their education and support needs. More research is needed about the impact of rurality on caregiving and the education and support needs of rural informal family caregivers.     

Single parents of children with chronic illness: an understudied phenomenon

OBJECTIVE: To examine the chronic illness literature and evaluate the impact on single parenting and children and adolescents with chronic illness. METHODS: We conducted literature reviews of relevant research pertaining to single-parent families on PubMed, Medline, and PsychINFO and also surveyed pertinent book chapters and all of the articles from the Journal of Pediatric Psychology since 1987 for articles, specifically examining the potential associations of single (lone) parenting versus two-parent households on children's psychosocial functioning and the impact of the child's illness on caregiver functioning. RESULTS: While the literature has examined and discussed the stressors associated with parenting a child with an illness, including the impact of illness on finances, family roles, and caregiver burden, few studies have examined single parents of children and adolescents with chronic illnesses and related stressors stemming from being a lone caregiver. CONCLUSIONS: There is a dearth of studies examining the association between lone parenting and psychosocial functioning among children and adolescents with chronic illnesses. Specific questions necessitating future investigation are summarized and recommendations are made for future research in this important area of inquiry.     

Commentary: Are children with JRA and their families at risk or resilient?

The articles in this series address a fundamental question inpediatric psychology—whether children with chronic illnessesare generally psychologically well adjusted (or at least nomore maladjusted than their peers) or whether their illnessplaces them or their families at greater risk for emotionalor behavioral difficulties. As the rich literature reviews of these three articles highlight, many studies offer encouragingfindings, suggesting that many children with juvenile rheumatoidarthritis (JRA) and their families adapt remarkably well tothe challenges posed by a painful and potentially incapacitatingillness. Why, then, do so many researchers continue to hunt for indicatorsof maladjustment?     

Emerging therapeutics in the management of COVID-19

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (coronavirus disease 2019, COVID-19) pandemic has placed a tremendous burden on healthcare systems globally. Therapeutics for treatment of the virus are extremely inconsistent due to the lack of time evaluating drug efficacy in clinical trials. Currently, there is a deficiency of published literature that comprehensively discusses all therapeutics being considered for the treatment of COVID-19. A review of the literature was performed for articles related to therapeutics and clinical trials in the context of the current COVID-19 pandemic. We used PubMed, Google Scholar, and Clinicaltrials.gov to search for articles relative to the topic of interest. We used the following keywords: “COVID-19”, “therapeutics”, “clinical trials”, “treatment”, “FDA”, “ICU”, “mortality”, and “management”. In addition, searches through the references of retrieved articles was also performed. In this paper, we have elaborated on the therapeutic strategies that have been hypothesized or trialed to-date, the mechanism of action of each therapeutic, the clinical trials finished or in-process that support the use of each therapeutic, and the adverse effects associated with each therapeutic. Currently, there is no treatment that has been proven to provide significant benefit in reducing morbidity and mortality. There are many clinical trials for numerous different therapeutic agents currently underway. By looking back and measuring successful strategies from previous pandemics in addition to carrying out ongoing research, we provide ourselves with the greatest opportunity to find treatments that are beneficial.     

The use of focus group interviews in pediatric health care research.

OBJECTIVE: To review and synethize the research material on focus groups with children and adolescents and to provide guidelines for future development. METHODS: Psychlit, Medline, and Cinahl electronic databases, as well as the reference lists of those articles consulted, were reviewed for information regarding focus groups with participants under the age of 18 years. Both empirical and methodological articles were part of this review. RESULTS: We review the utility of focus groups for exploratory research, program evaluation, program development, and questionnaire construction or adaptation. Based on previous research, we provide guidelines for focus groups with children and adolescents and outline suggestions for future development. CONCLUSIONS: There is evidence to suggest that focus groups are a valuable means of eliciting children's views on health-related matters, given an appropriate research question. However, empirical research is required in order to investigate systematically the effect of different processes and variables on the final outcome of focus group interviews.     

Systematic evidence-based review: outcomes from exome and genome sequencing for pediatric patients with congenital anomalies or intellectual disability

PurposeExome and genome sequencing (ES/GS) are performed frequently in patients with congenital anomalies, developmental delay, or intellectual disability (CA/DD/ID), but the impact of results from ES/GS on clinical management and patient outcomes is not well characterized. A systematic evidence review (SER) can support future evidence-based guideline development for use of ES/GS in this patient population.MethodsWe undertook an SER to identify primary literature from January 2007 to March 2019 describing health, clinical, reproductive, and psychosocial outcomes resulting from ES/GS in patients with CA/DD/ID. A narrative synthesis of results was performed.ResultsWe retrieved 2654 publications for full-text review from 7178 articles. Only 167 articles met our inclusion criteria, and these were primarily case reports or small case series of fewer than 20 patients. The most frequently reported outcomes from ES/GS were changes to clinical management or reproductive decision-making. Two studies reported on the reduction of mortality or morbidity or impact on quality of life following ES/GS.ConclusionThere is evidence that ES/GS for patients with CA/DD/ID informs clinical and reproductive decision-making, which could lead to improved outcomes for patients and their family members. Further research is needed to generate evidence regarding health outcomes to inform robust guidelines regarding ES/GS in the care of patients with CA/DD/ID.