Heather L. Hunter

Camping Programs for Children with Chronic Illness as a Modality for Recreation, Treatment, and Evaluation: An Example of a Mission-Based Program Evaluation of a Diabetes Camp

Summer camps have been recognized as a valuable means of delivering services to children with chronic illnesses. Although these camps exist in abundance across the United States, they have been largely underrepresented in the clinical psychology literature. Particularly, there is a staggering discrepancy between the number of camps in existence and the number of published articles pertaining to the systematic evaluation of these camps. We outline the potential benefits of camping programs for children who are chronically ill, describe the importance of systematically evaluating them, and provide a model for this evaluative process. We describe an evaluation of a diabetes summer camp and present implications of this study for camp decision makers and clinical psychologists working in pediatric medical settings.

Conceptualization and treatment of chronic abdominal pain in pediatric gastroenterology practice.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to examine how children with abdominal pain presently are viewed, assessed, and treated by pediatric gastroenterologists across North America, as well as how perspectives have changed since initial release of the Rome criteria for functional gastrointestinal disorders approximately 15 years ago. Patients and Methods: One hundred seventy-four full members of the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition completed a pediatric gastroenterology practice survey designed by the authors in 2006. The responses were examined for practice patterns and specific knowledge/use of the Rome criteria. The responses were also compared with historical data from 151 North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition members who completed a similar survey in 1992. Results: There were few changes in the evaluation, treatment, or outcomes for children with abdominal pain for the past 15 years. Knowledge of the Rome criteria was common, but use in practice was not; several specific problems with the criteria were identified. A mismatch also appeared between belief in the importance of psychological factors in the creation/maintenance of pediatric abdominal pain and integration of these factors as part of standard evaluation and treatment. Finally, controversy emerged regarding both the term “functional” and the importance of histologic inflammation in the pathophysiology of pediatric abdominal pain. Conclusions: The evolution and dissemination of the Rome criteria for the past 15 years have not substantially changed evaluation or treatment practices for children with abdominal pain. Many areas of inconsistency and controversy remain. More focused research is needed to better understand this common pain condition and to establish an effective treatment program that can be disseminated across practitioners.

Family-Based Treatment for Pediatric Overweight: Parental Weight Loss as a Predictor of Children's Treatment Success

This study examined the relative influence of nutrition and exercise education, behavioral therapy, and parental weight loss on childrens weight-related treatment outcomes. Participants included 65 children and their parents who were participating in an evidence-based multicomponential pediatric overweight intervention program. After accounting for age and sex, childrens attendance at group treatment and change in health knowledge predicted 9.7% and 5.8% of the variance in childrens weight change, respectively. However, the single greatest predictor of change in childrens body mass index was parent weight loss, which accounted for 18.8% of the variance in the model. Findings suggest that although nutrition–exercise education and group therapy are beneficial, parental weight loss best predicts childrens treatment outcomes.

Interparental Conflict and Adolescent Dating Relationships The Role of Perceived Threat and Self-Blame Appraisals

In line with the cognitive—contextual framework proposed by Grych and Fincham (1990), evidence suggests that children exposed to interparental conflict (IPC) are at risk for experiencing conflict within their own intimate relationships. The mediating role of adolescent appraisal in the relation between IPC and adolescent dating behavior was examined in the current study. Specifically, it was hypothesized that self-blame and threat appraisals would mediate the relation between IPC and adolescent maladaptive dating behaviors. To examine the potential mediating role of appraisal, 169 high school students completed the Childrens Perception of Interparental Conflict (Grych, Seid, & Fincham, 1992) and Child and Adolescent Dating Relationships Inventory (Wolfe, Scott, Reitzel-Jaffe, Wekerle, Grasley, & Straatman, 2004). Findings suggest that self-blame appraisal partially mediated the relation between IPC and adolescent sexual aggression, and between IPC and adolescent threatening behavior. In addition, perceived threat appraisal partially mediated the relation between IPC and adolescent sexual aggression. Implications for the current findings are discussed.

Family Adherence as a Predictor of Child Outcome in an Intervention for Pediatric Obesity: Different Outcomes for Self-Report and Objective Measures

This study examined the relations between specific adherence variables and child outcomes among a sample of 60 families participating in a family-based pediatric obesity program. Adherence was measured using both objective and self-report methods. Family adherence to the treatment protocol significantly predicted child outcomes. However, parent self-report measures of adherence were better predictors of child outcome than objective measures. The importance of including parent self-report measures of adherence for behaviors outside of the treatment setting was demonstrated in this study. Pediatric obesity treatment should emphasize the importance of modifying parent behaviors as a means for improving child outcomes.

Associations between the repressive adaptive style and self-reported hope in Mexican American and Euro-American children.

A large literature has examined the associations between Weinberger, Schwartz, and Davidsons (1979) repressive adaptive style (RAS) construct and various self-report measures of distress or unpleasant emotional states in adults and children. Fewer investigations have examined the role of RAS in self-reported positive psychology constructs. In this investigation, we used Weinberger et al.s (1979) categorical typology to examine the associations between adaptive style and hope in Euro-American (n = 60) and Mexican American (n = 49) children (M age = 11.4 years) who were students at 1 of 3 parochial schools in a large Midwestern city. Partially supporting the hypotheses, a univariate 2 (ethnic group) × 2 (repressor group) analysis of variance indicated a significant main effect for adaptive style group but no significant main effect for ethnic group and no significant interaction effect. Results extend the literature on the associations between adaptive style and self-report instruments and indicate that (similar to self-reported measures of distress) self-reported hope may be subject to social desirability bias.