Virtual Support for Bereaved Parents: Acceptability, Feasibility, and Preliminary Efficacy of HOPE Group.

Hospital-based supports for families following the death of a child are rare. Virtual interventions may address key barriers to providing bereavement care, but little is known about their acceptability, feasibility, and efficacy. Our hospital's palliative care program offered a six-week closed virtual support group for bereaved parents five times between 2021 and 2024.

Improving Pain Management for Marginalized Communities: Educating the Next Generation of Health Care Professionals.

Inadequately managed pain has immense negative impacts on children, families, health care systems, and societies. Historically and presently, inadequately treated pain disproportionally affects marginalized communities. Deficiencies in pain education for health care providers are widely recognized as a leading contributor to poorly managed pain.

Disease-modifying therapies for sickle cell disease: Decisional needs and supports among adolescents and young adults.

Background: Shared decision-making is one promising solution to addressing barriers in use of disease-modifying therapies for adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with sickle cell disease (SCD). A thorough understanding of decisional needs can guide the development of decisional supports and promote shared decision-making.

Procedure: Informed by the Ottawa Decision Support Framework (ODSF), we conducted a qualitative analysis to assess decisional needs and supports reported by AYAs with SCD, their caregivers, and healthcare providers.

Exploring Referral and Service Utilization Patterns Within an Outpatient Interdisciplinary Pediatric Chronic Pain Program.

Purpose: We examine referral sources and clinical characteristics for youth presenting to an outpatient interdisciplinary pediatric chronic pain program.

Patients And Methods: Referral data were extracted from the electronic health record. PROMIS Pediatric Anxiety and Pain Interference Scales were administered at an initial evaluation visit.

Feasibility of Electronic Medication Monitoring Among Adolescents and Emerging Adults with Sickle Cell Disease.

Purpose: To examine the feasibility of using MEMS bottles to assess adherence among adolescents and emerging adults with sickle cell disease.

Patients And Methods: Eighteen non-Hispanic Black participants with HbSS (M = 17.8 years; 61% male) were given a MEMS bottle to store hydroxyurea (n = 14) or deferasirox (n = 4).

Trajectories of Traumatic Stress Symptoms Among Siblings of Children With Cancer: The First Two Years Post-Diagnosis.

Objective: Identify and describe trajectories of cancer-related posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) among siblings of children with cancer within two years of diagnosis.

Method: Siblings (aged 8-18; M = 11.2 years) across the United States, and for each, one caregiver, were recruited for a cohort sequential longitudinal study with three data collection points six months apart beginning at 6- or 12-months after cancer diagnosis.

Competencies for Psychology Practice in Pediatric Palliative Care.

Objective: Pediatric psychologists have unique expertise to contribute to the care of youth with serious illnesses yet are not routinely integrated into pediatric palliative care (PPC) teams. To better define the role and unique skillset of psychologists practicing in PPC, support their systematic inclusion as part of PPC teams, and advance trainee knowledge of PPC principles and skills, the PPC Psychology Working Group sought to develop core competencies for psychologists in this subspecialty.

Methods: A Working Group of pediatric psychologists with expertise in PPC met monthly to review literature and existing competencies in pediatrics, pediatric and subspecialty psychology, adult palliative care, and PPC subspecialties.

Persistent Disparities in Pediatric Health Care Engagement During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted traditional health care, including pediatric health care. We described the impact of the pandemic on disparities in pediatric health care engagement.

Methods: Using a population-based cross-sectional time-series design, we compared monthly ambulatory care visit volume and completion rates (completed vs no-show and cancelled visits) among pediatric patients aged 0-21 years in 4 states in the mid-Atlantic United States during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020-February 2021) with the same period before the pandemic (March 2019-February 2020).

Psychologists as leaders in equitable science: Applications of antiracism and community participatory strategies in a pediatric behavioral medicine clinical trial.

Psychologists have an ethical responsibility to advance health equity and can play a significant role in improving health care experiences for families racialized as Black, including those with sickle cell disease (SCD), a group of genetic blood disorders primarily affecting communities of color. Parents of children with SCD report experiences of stigma and discrimination due to racism in the health care system. The current commentary describes the application of antiracism and participatory strategies to the research design, implementation, and dissemination of a behavioral medicine clinical trial (Engage-HU; NCT03442114) of shared decision-making (SDM) for pediatric patients with SCD, including (a) the development of a research question to promote justice for racialized groups; (b) a focus on "redressing imbalances" through SDM and a multidisciplinary, inclusive research team led by a Black psychologist; (c) community participatory approaches through the integration of stakeholder feedback across the study; and (d) centering context by attending to structural realities in response to the COVID-19 and racism pandemics.

Family-centered communication in pediatric sickle cell disease.

Background: Individuals with sickle cell disease (SCD) experience systemic barriers in accessing high-quality care. Research suggests that patient/family-provider relationships are an important indicator of healthcare quality and can influence disease self-management and outcomes. The Patient Centered Communication (PCC) framework holds that patient/family-centered communication (e.

COVID-19 Exposure and Family Impact Scales for Adolescents and Young Adults.

Objective: To understand the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on adolescents and young adults (AYAs), we adapted the COVID-19 Exposure and Family Impact Scales (CEFIS; Kazak et al., 2021) for AYAs. Here, we report on the development, structure, and psychometric properties of the CEFIS-AYA.

Improved pain acceptance and interference following outpatient interdisciplinary pediatric chronic pain treatment.

Objectives: Intensive interdisciplinary chronic pain treatment programs have demonstrated that pain acceptance predicts positive treatment outcomes, but limited research has focused on less-intensive programs. This study aimed to examine associations between changes in pain acceptance and pain interference among youth participating in an outpatient interdisciplinary chronic pain treatment program.

Design: Youth presenting to an evaluation within an interdisciplinary outpatient pediatric chronic pain program completed questionnaires at initial program evaluation (T1) and three months later (T2).

Validation of the COVID-19 Exposure and Family Impact Scales.

Objective: The COVID-19 Exposure and Family Impact Scales (CEFIS) were developed in Spring 2020 to assess effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on families and caregivers. Initial psychometric properties were promising. The current study examined the factor structure and evaluated convergent and criterion validity of the CEFIS in a new sample.

Who Gets Referred? A Pilot Study of Risk Stratification and Treatment Referral in Pediatric Headache Using the Pediatric Pain Screening Tool.

Objective: Headaches are common among youth and are associated with significant negative outcomes. Despite advances in interdisciplinary treatments for youth with chronic pain, research suggests disparities in access to these services.

Methods: A total of 186 youth (M = 14.

Parental post-traumatic stress, overprotective parenting, and emotional and behavioural problems for children with critical congenital heart disease.

Objective: To examine relationships amongst parental post-traumatic stress symptoms, parental post-traumatic growth, overprotective parenting, and child emotional/behavioural problems in families of children with critical CHD.

Method: Sixty parents (15 fathers) of children aged 1-6 completed online questionnaires assessing parental post-traumatic stress symptoms and post-traumatic growth, overprotective parenting, and child emotional/behavioural problems. Bivariate correlations and mediational analyses were conducted to evaluate overprotective parenting as a mediator of the association between parental post-traumatic stress symptoms and child emotional/behavioural problems.

Survey Research With Families in the Context of Pediatric Chronic Health Conditions: Key Considerations and Future Directions.

Self-report family functioning measures play a critical role in advancing our understanding of how families are impacted by, and adapt to, the demands of childhood health conditions. In this article, we present key considerations when conceptualizing, assessing, and analyzing dynamic family processes in research; discuss related implications for selecting instruments; and provide an update on the evidence base of self-report family functioning measures. Researchers need to consider theory, definitions of the family, informants, instruments, and procedural and data analytic issues when designing family research.

Engaging Caregivers and Providers of Children With Sickle Cell Anemia in Shared Decision Making for Hydroxyurea: Protocol for a Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Sickle cell anemia (SCA) is a genetic blood disorder that puts children at a risk of serious medical complications, early morbidity and mortality, and high health care utilization. Until recently, hydroxyurea was the only disease-modifying treatment for this life-threatening disease and has remained the only option for children younger than 5 years. Evidence-based guidelines recommend using a shared decision-making (SDM) approach for offering hydroxyurea to children with SCA (HbSS or HbS/β0 thalassemia) aged as early as 9 months.

COVID-19 Exposure and Family Impact Scales: Factor Structure and Initial Psychometrics.

Objective: In response to the rapidly unfolding coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in spring 2020, we developed a caregiver-report measure to understand the extent to which children and families were exposed to events related to COVID-19 and their perceptions of its impact. This article reports on the factor structure and psychometric properties of this measure.

Methods: The COVID-19 Exposure and Family Impact Scales (CEFIS) were developed by a multidisciplinary, multi-institutional team using a rapid iterative process.

Psychiatric comorbidity and co-occurring opioid misuse: Depression mediates the relationship between post-traumatic stress disorder and opioid misuse in community pharmacy settings.

Abstracts Individuals who misuse opioids frequently have comorbid psychiatric issues, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. However, little is known about the mechanisms by which these disorders are associated with opioid misuse and specifically in community pharmacy settings. The current study examined whether depression mediated the relationship between PTSD and opioid misuse in patients filling opioid prescriptions.

Trial Registration and Outcome Reporting in Child and Pediatric Psychology: A Systematic Review.

Objective: To examine rate of registration for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published in the Journal of Pediatric Psychology (JPP) and Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology (JCCAP). Secondary aims were to investigate associations between trial characteristics and registration status and compare registered and published primary outcomes.

Methods: RCTs published in JPP or JCCAP between January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2017 were included.

A preliminary investigation of the psychometric properties of PROMIS® scales in emerging adults with sickle cell disease.

Objective: To report preliminary psychometric properties of PROMIS® assessments among emerging adults with sickle cell disease (SCD).

Method: Forty-five emerging adults with SCD ages 18-24 (M = 20.81, SD = 1.

Posttraumatic Stress in Children After Injury: The Role of Acute Pain and Opioid Medication Use.

Objectives: After injury, many children experience posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) that negatively impact recovery. Acute pain and PTSS share neurobiological pathways, and acute dosage of morphine has been linked to reduced PTSS in naturalistic studies. However, the complex interactions between pain, morphine and other opioid use, and PTSS have yet to be investigated in robust pediatric samples.