Patient and family reflections on the use of subcutaneous insulin to prevent diabetes: a retrospective evaluation from a pilot prevention trial.

A retrospective, semi-structured telephone interview was used to collect data from 28 of 31 families who participated in a pilot study testing subcutaneous insulin as a means to prevent or delay insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) onset. Interviews were conducted an average of 3 years after the initiation of the subcutaneous insulin protocol. Both the high-risk person (if > or = 8 years of age) and a family member (spouse or parent) were interviewed.

Transplantation in children. A longitudinal assessment of mothers' stress, coping, and perceptions of family functioning.

This study examined the parenting stress, coping resources, and family functioning among 27 mothers of children undergoing bone marrow, liver, kidney, and heart transplantation. The mothers completed a comprehensive battery of psychological instruments at the pretransplant stage and at 1- and 6-month posttransplant stages. Increased parenting stress, financial strain, caregiver burden, and family stress were reported following transplantation and persisted for several months.

Promoting healthier behaviors, attitudes, and beliefs toward sun exposure in parents of young children.

The present study examined the impact of a conceptually driven intervention designed to increase skin cancer knowledge and promote healthier, "sun-safe" attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors about sun exposure in mothers of children ages 6 months to 10 years old. Participants (N = 55) were assigned to a comprehensive prevention program (CPP), information-only condition (IOC), or a no-information control group (NIC). An assessment battery measuring skin cancer knowledge, sun-safe behaviors, and sun exposure attitudes and beliefs was administered at baseline, 2 weeks postintervention, and 12 weeks postintervention.

Perceptions of parenting stress and family relations by fathers of children evaluated for organ transplantation.

18 fathers of children evaluated for solid organ or bone marrow transplantation completed measures of parenting stress and family functioning. Comparisons with normative data indicated that these fathers reported less parenting stress, less family conflict, more concern about family finances, and more limitations in family activities. These data highlight the need for family-based assessments in pediatric transplantation.

Moderating effects of family functioning on the social adjustment of children with liver disease.

In this study, we examined the moderating effects of family functioning on parent- and child-reported indices of social functioning in 30 children with liver disease. Consistent with previous research, children with liver disease exhibited significantly lower levels of social functioning compared to normative data. Hierarchical multiple-regression analyses were conducted to examine the relative influence of cognitive functioning, disease severity, and family functioning (i.

Children and exposure to the sun: relationships among attitudes, knowledge, intentions, and behavior.

This study examined the relationships among measures of knowledge of skin cancer, attitudes toward sun exposure, intentions to use sunscreen, and self-reported use of sunscreen by 105 fifth-grade children. Positive correlations were obtained between knowledge and intentions to use sunscreen, knowledge and healthier attitudes, and intentions to use sunscreen and healthier attitudes toward sun exposure. Surprisingly, knowledge, attitudes, and intentions were not significantly associated with reported use of sunscreen.

Psychological impact of islet cell antibody screening for IDDM on children, adults, and their family members.

Objective: To describe the psychological impact of positive islet cell antibody (ICA) screening results in children and adults, as well as their parents and spouses.

Research Design And Methods: The psychological impact of ICA screening results was assessed subsequent to subjects' being informed of ICA-positive (ICA+) status and was re-evaluated 4 months later. Impact was measured using the state subscale of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) for adults or the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children (STAIC), as well as structured interviews.

Concepts of illness causality in a pediatric sample. Relationship to illness duration, frequency of hospitalization, and degree of life-threat.

In this study, we evaluated whether previous medical experience is associated with more sophisticated conceptions of illness causality among 64 children ages 4 to 16 years old. Although age and prorated IQ were found to be strongly related to children's illness causality concepts, duration of medical condition, total hospitalization days, and higher life-threat medical conditions were not associated with more sophisticated illness concepts in this pediatric sample. Using multiple regression analysis, age and IQ accounted for 59% of the variance in illness causality scores; contrary to expectations, medical experience variables (i.

Evaluating pediatric psychology consultation services in a medical setting: An example.

We examined the nature of referrals to a health center-based pediatric psychology service from 1990 to 1993 and assessed the satisfaction of health professionals with these services. Archival evaluation of 1467 records showed that over half of the consultation requests came from general pediatrics, pediatric neurology, and surgical services and that 70% of the psychological services were delivered on an outpatient basis. The most frequent referrals were for cognitive/neuropsychological evaluation and externalizing behavior problems.

Parent-child agreement on ratings of anxiety in children.

Research on congruence of parents' and children's reports of children's symptomatology has typically yielded low to moderate agreement. This study extended past research by examining the rate of parent-child agreement on reported anxiety for a nonclinical sample of children. 85 children ages 8 to 16 years and attending recreational summer camps completed measures of their own anxiety and parents completed the same scales on their children twice; once according to their perceptions of their own child's anxiety and once for how they predicted their own child would complete the measures.

Current status of psychological research in organ transplantation.

Research addressing the psychological concomitants of organ transplantation is reviewed. Specifically, cognitive, behavioral, and psychosocial correlates of kidney, heart, liver, and bone marrow transplantation in both children and adults are discussed. Despite several conceptual and methodological shortcomings of the psychologically-based research in this area, results seem to indicate that organ transplantation is associated with many psychological issues at pretransplantation, posttransplantation, and follow-up periods.