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Objective: We tested the hypothesis that pain threat appraisal and catastrophizing by children with functional abdominal pain (FAP) will moderate the relation between parent verbal behavior and children's symptom complaints following experimentally induced visceral discomfort.Methods: Thirty-three pediatric patients with FAP and their parents participated. Children completed measures of pain threat appraisal and catastrophizing. Weeks later they completed the Water Load Symptom Provocation Test to induce visceral discomfort. Spontaneous parent-child interactions during child discomfort were audiotaped and coded for content.Results: Parent symptom-related talk was associated with more child symptom complaints and parent non-symptom-related talk with fewer child complaints. The relation between symptom talk and complaints was greater for children with high catastrophizing. Non-symptom talk was associated with fewer complaints for children with high threat appraisals.Conclusions: Child characteristics should be considered in research on the relation between parent behavior and children's symptom complaints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much coping research has been conducted comparing members of different ethnic groups using discrete racial classifications. However, the past two decades have seen the construct of ethnicity evolve into a complex variable that must be assessed in a more comprehensive way. This study explored how ethnicity, a discrete variable, and the continuous variables of a person's ethnic identity and self-construal contribute to the use of particular coping strategies across various situations. One hundred twelve seventh graders (67 African Americans and 45 Caucasian Americans) from three suburban middle schools completed questionnaires assessing ethnic identity, self-construal, and coping strategies for medical, test, and social criticism stressors. Results supported the hypothesis that ethnicity as a discrete variable is not associated with coping, but that ethnic identity and self-construal are. It was also found that high scores on the ethnic identity and self-construal scales were indicative of more positive psychological adjustment. Implications for future research and methodological considerations are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaluates research on treating pain in children and provides recommendations for future studies. Implications of the findings of several studies for the design of empirically derived treatment protocols; Need for studies that would provide information on the development of treatment interventions; Need to investigate the efficacy of combining pharmacological and psychological interventions.

Objective: Examine how executive functioning (EF), healthcare management, and self-efficacy relate to college students' health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Participants : Undergraduates completed questionnaires at baseline (Time 1; n  = 387) and 18-24 months later (Time 2; n  = 102). Methods: Participants reported on their EF and healthcare management skills at Time 1 and self-efficacy and mental and physical HRQOL at Time 2. Results: Students with fewer EF problems reported higher mental and physical HRQOL at both timepoints and those with higher healthcare management skills had higher mental and physical HRQOL at Time 1. Higher self-efficacy mediated the relation between EF and mental HRQOL, and the relation between healthcare management and mental HRQOL. Conclusions: Findings illustrate two potential pathways by which self-management, in healthcare settings or daily living, contributes to mental HRQOL during emerging adulthood. Assessing EF and healthcare management could help identify those at risk of low HRQOL and provide information that can inform interventions in college settings.

Background: Adolescent and young adult (AYA) solid organ transplant recipients experience worsening medical outcomes during transition to adult healthcare. Current understanding and definitions of transition success emphasize first initiation of appointment attendance in adult healthcare; however, declines in attendance over time after transfer remain possible, particularly as AYAs are further removed from their pediatric provider and assume greater independence in their care., Methods: The current study assessed health-care utilization, medical outcomes, and transition success among 49 AYA heart, kidney, or liver recipients recently transferred to adult healthcare. Differences in outcomes were examined along two transition success criteria: (1) initial engagement in adult healthcare within 6 or 12 months of last pediatric appointment and (2) retention in adult healthcare over 3 years following last pediatric appointment. Growth curve modeling examined change in attendance over time., Results: Successful retention in adult healthcare was significantly related to more improved clinical outcomes, including decreased number and duration of hospitalizations and greater medication adherence, as compared to initial engagement. Significant declines in appointment attendance over 3 years were noted, and individual differences in declines were not accounted for by age at transfer or time since transplant., Conclusions: Findings underscore support for AYAs after transfer, as significant declines in attendance were noted after initiating adult care. Clinical care teams should examine transition success longitudinally to address changes in health-care utilization and medical outcomes. Attention to interventions and administrative support aimed at maintaining or increasing attendance and identifying risk factors and intervention for unsuccessful transition is warranted., (© 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Objective To examine the role of executive functioning (EF) in health self-management and the transition to adult health care among college students. Participants: A total of 378 undergraduate students from a public university participated in the study. Methods: Participants reported on EF, health self-management skills, and their readiness to transition to adult care. Mediation analyses were conducted to evaluate indirect effects of EF on readiness to transition via health self-management skills. Results: Students with greater EF difficulties were less ready to transition to adult care. Specific aspects of health self-management (Medication management/Appointment keeping) mediated the relationship between EF and readiness to transition. Conclusion: EF is a key developmental aspect of health self-management and transition readiness. Assessing EF strengths/weaknesses in students with suboptimal health self-management skills may provide valuable information for informing the development of individually-tailored transition plans in university health centers, thereby enhancing developmentally appropriate care during the college years.

Background: Pediatric solid organ transplant recipients are susceptible to posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), given the presence of a life-threatening chronic medical condition and potential for complications. However, little is known about what individual characteristics are associated with an increased risk for PTSS among youth who received an organ transplant. The aim of the current study was to evaluate PTSS and its associations with executive functioning (EF) and personality (i.e., neuroticism and conscientiousness) among adolescents with solid organ transplants., Methods: Fifty-three adolescents (M age  = 16.40, SD = 1.60) with a kidney, heart, or liver transplant completed self-report measures of PTSS and personality, whereas caregivers completed a caregiver-proxy report of adolescent EF., Results: Twenty-two percent of adolescent transplant recipients reported clinically significant levels of PTSS. Higher EF difficulties and neuroticism levels, and lower conscientiousness levels were significantly associated with higher PTSS (rs -.34 to .64). Simple slope analyses revealed that adolescents with both high EF impairment and high levels of neuroticism demonstrated the highest PTSS (t = 3.47; p < .001)., Conclusions: Most adolescent transplant recipients in the present study did not report clinically significant levels of PTSS; however, those with high neuroticism and greater EF difficulties may be particularly vulnerable to PTSS following organ transplantation. Following transplantation, medical providers should assess for PTSS and risk factors for developing PTSS. Identification of those at risk for PTSS is critical, given the strong associations between PTSS and certain medical outcomes (e.g., medication nonadherence) among these youth., (© 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: It is widely assumed that pediatric solid organ transplantation results in better caregiver-reported outcomes, including reduced caregiver psychological distress and increased child health-related quality of life (HRQOL), yet little empirical evidence of this expectation exists. The current investigation aims to fill this gap and identify key clinical course factors predictive of caregiver-reported outcomes., Methods: Forty-nine caregivers of children (M age  = 10.30 years, SD = 5.43) presenting for kidney, liver, or heart transplant evaluation reported on their psychological distress levels (anxiety, depression, somatization, and global psychological stress) and their children's HRQOL at children's pretransplant evaluations and 6 months post-transplant. Clinical course factors were abstracted via medical chart review., Results: Caregivers did not report significant changes in their psychological distress from pre- to post-transplant but reported significantly improved child HRQOL across most domains (ds = -.45 to -.54). Higher post-transplant caregiver global psychological distress was predicted by older child age, shorter time since diagnosis, and lower pretransplant caregiver-reported child HRQOL even after controlling for pretransplant caregiver psychological distress. Lower post-transplant child total HRQOL was predicted by more post-transplant hospitalizations even after controlling for pretransplant child total HRQOL., Conclusions: These preliminary results indicate pediatric solid organ transplantation was associated with some improved caregiver-reported outcomes, specifically children's HRQOL, but not caregivers' psychological distress. Linear regression models identify several clinical course and pretransplant factors associated with transplantation outcomes. Characterizing how caregivers view their psychological distress levels and children's HRQOL across the transplantation process could inform family-centered holistic care and support caregiver adaptation to transplantation., (© 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Objective: To inform efforts to better support caregivers of children with cancer during the transition from treatment to survivorship, this study sought to characterize caregiver mental health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and anxiety, and examine the influence of family psychosocial risk and caregiver problem-solving on these outcomes., Method: Participants included 124 caregivers (child age M = 10.05 years; SD = 4.78), 12-19 months from the conclusion of cancer-directed treatment. Participants' self-reported mental HRQOL, anxiety, and problem-solving were compared with community norms using t-tests. Correlations and hierarchical multiple regressions examined the influence of psychosocial risk and problem-solving on caregiver mental HRQOL and anxiety., Results: Overall, caregivers reported HRQOL and anxiety within normal limits. Caregivers also reported more adaptive patterns of problem-solving than community norms. Subsets of caregivers reported clinical levels of psychosocial risk (11%) and at-risk levels of mental HRQOL (2.5%) and anxiety (5.7%). Females reported greater anxiety than males. Psychosocial risk and negative problem orientation (NPO) were both related to poorer mental HRQOL and greater anxiety (r = .40-.51, p's < .001). Positive problem orientation related to better mental HRQOL and lower anxiety (r = .18-.21, p's < .05). Impulsivity/carelessness and avoidance were associated with greater anxiety (r = .19-.25, p's < .05). Only NPO accounted for additional variance in mental HRQOL and anxiety, over and above psychosocial risk and demographic characteristics., Conclusions: The majority of caregivers appear to be resilient and experience limited distress during the off therapy period. Targeting negative cognitive appraisals (NPO) through cognitive-behavioral therapy or problem-solving skills training may further improve caregiver psychosocial functioning., (© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Pediatric Psychology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Objective: Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with solid organ transplants must attain responsibility for healthcare tasks during transition to adult healthcare. However, healthcare systems often initiate transfer based on age and not independence in care. This study examines specific responsibilities distinguishing AYA organ transplant recipients reporting readiness to transfer., Methods: 65 AYAs (ages 12-21) with heart, kidney, or liver transplants and 63 caregivers completed questionnaires assessing AYA's transition readiness, healthcare responsibility, and executive functioning. Categorizations included mostly/completely ready versus not at all/somewhat ready to transition; responsibility was compared between groups., Results: 42% of AYAs and 24% of caregivers reported AYAs as mostly/completely ready to transition. AYAs mostly/completely ready reported similar routine healthcare responsibility (e.g., medication taking, appointment attendance), but greater managerial healthcare responsibility (e.g., knowing insurance details, appointment scheduling), compared to AYAs not at all/somewhat ready to transition., Conclusions: All AYAs should be competent in routine healthcare skills foundational for positive health outcomes. However, the managerial tasks distinguish AYAs perceived as ready to transfer to adult healthcare., Practice Implications: Emphasis on developing responsibility for managerial tasks is warranted. The Hierarchy of Healthcare Transition Readiness Skills is a framework by which AYA responsibility can be gradually increased in preparation for transfer., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors report no declarations of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This study examined associations between tic severity, emotion regulation, social functioning, and social impairment in youth with Tourette Syndrome (TS). Emotion regulation was examined as a mediator between tic severity and social outcomes. Seventy-seven caregivers of youth with TS (M age = 13.1 years; SD = 2.29) were administered proxy-report measures of tic severity, emotion regulation, social functioning, and social impairment. Total and motor tic severity were negatively associated with emotion regulation and social functioning, and positively associated with social impairment (r's = 0.23 to 0.43). Vocal tic severity was not related to emotion regulation or social functioning, but was positively associated with social impairment (r = 0.36). Emotion regulation mediated the relations between total tic severity and both social outcomes, and motor tic severity and both social outcomes. Interventions that target emotion regulation would likely be a beneficial adjunctive therapy for youth with TS, and may result in improved social outcomes.

Objective: To evaluate the factor structure, validity, and reliability of the Caregiver Medication Barriers to Adherence Scale (CMBAS), which assesses caregivers' barriers to facilitating medication adherence in adolescent and young adults (AYAs) with solid organ transplants., Methods: The sample included 93 caregivers of AYAs ages 12-22 years who received a liver, kidney, or heart transplant. Caregivers completed the CMBAS and surveys to assess its validity, including internalizing symptoms, personality traits (i.e., neuroticism, conscientiousness), and AYAs' nonadherence to immunosuppressant medications. AYA nonadherence to tacrolimus was objectively assessed via the Medication Level Variability Index (MLVI)., Results: Confirmatory factor analyses of the CMBAS revealed a two-factor model: Caregiver Emotional Distress and Caregiver Cognitive Burden/Responsibility. Higher CMBAS scores were related to higher levels of caregiver internalizing symptoms (rs = .28 to .30), neuroticism (r = .27), and caregiver proxy-reported immunosuppressant nonadherence (r = .27), as well as lower levels of caregiver conscientiousness (rs = -.25 to -.26). The CMBAS was not associated with the MLVI (rs = -.13 to -.16)., Conclusions: The CMBAS demonstrated reliability and validity for caregivers of AYAs with solid organ transplants. Findings support the use of the CMBAS as a brief clinical screening tool to identify caregivers' barriers to facilitating AYA medication adherence., (© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Pediatric Psychology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Objective: Much of the extant literature on adherence barriers has focused on modifiable factors (e.g., knowledge, social support); however, less is known about how barriers may be associated with relatively stable constructs, such as personality traits. The current study examines associations between personality (i.e., agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism) and adherence barriers in a group of adolescent and young adult (AYA) solid organ transplant recipients. Demonstrating associations between barriers and personality may help in understanding why barriers are stable over time. Additionally, different personality traits may relate to different types of barriers., Methods: The sample included 90 AYAs (Mage = 17.31; SD = 2.05; 58% male) who received a kidney (n = 36), liver (n = 29), or heart (n = 25) transplant at least 1 year prior to study enrollment. AYAs completed the Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Neuroticism scales from the NEO Five-Factor Inventory and the Adolescent Medication Barriers Scale (AMBS)., Results: Lower levels of agreeableness and conscientiousness and higher levels of neuroticism were related to higher self-reported barrier scores (AMBS; r's = .31- .53, p's < .001). The relations differed by personality factor and barrier type., Conclusion: Adherence barriers showed medium to large associations with personality traits that are known to be relatively stable. Our findings indicate that the temporal stability of barriers to adherence may be due in part to their association with relatively enduring personality characteristics., (© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Pediatric Psychology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: Examining executive functioning (EF) posttransplant has become increasingly prevalent, as EF deficits are associated with poor disease-related outcomes and psychosocial functioning. The purpose of the current meta-analysis was to compare overall and domain-specific EF between healthy youth and those with a kidney, heart, or liver transplant, and identify moderating variables related to EF differences between these 2 groups., Methods: A literature search of PsycINFO, Pubmed, and Medline was conducted for eligible articles published until January 2019. Twenty studies met eligibility criteria and were included in the present meta-analysis., Results: Results from the random-effects model indicated a significant standardized mean difference in overall EF skills with transplant recipients demonstrating worse EF (g = 0.40; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.29-0.50) than healthy youth. Specifically, transplanted youth had worse working memory (g = 0.33; 95% CI, 0.01-0.66), processing speed (g = 0.41; 95% CI, 0.19-0.62), attentional control (g = 0.53; 95% CI, 0.33-0.73), and metacognitive skills (g = 0.36; 95% CI, 0.18-0.54). Assessment type and time since transplantation were not significant moderators., Conclusions: Pediatric solid organ transplant recipients demonstrate worse overall EF skills and deficits in working memory, processing speed, attentional control, and metacognitive skills. Many children who have undergone solid organ transplantation will require additional support in medical and academic settings because of deficits in various EF domains.

Introduction: Better family adjustment following pediatric solid organ transplantation has been associated with a number of beneficial medical and psychosocial outcomes. Yet few studies have examined which pretransplant variables are associated with posttransplant family adjustment. This information can aid in identifying families that may need support going into the transplantation process and those who are at lower risk of worse posttransplant adjustment., Method: The sample included 66 parents of children with solid organ transplants and 22 children with solid organ transplants. Information regarding demographic factors, parent and child emotional functioning, and child social support was collected during the child's pretransplant evaluation and information on family adjustment was collected 6 months after transplantation., Results: Results indicated that pretransplant demands such as worse parent and child emotional functioning were related to worse family adjustment 6 months after transplantation. Pretransplant capabilities (i.e., higher family income, parent education level, parent marital status, child social support) were not associated with posttransplant family adjustment., Discussion: Pretransplant family demands such as parent and child emotional functioning, as opposed to family capabilities, should be assessed by family health care team members prior to transplantation because they may be related to worse family adjustment after the transplant. We offer recommendations for ways to assess and, if indicated, intervene upon pretransplant family demands in an effort to decrease the risk of worse posttransplant family adjustment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

This study examined patient-reported sleep quality in a single-center cross-sectional sample of adolescents with solid organ transplants and evaluated associations between sleep quality, psychosocial functioning (ie, depression/anxiety symptoms), and HRQOL. Health disparities associated with minority race/ethnicity and socioeconomic variables were also examined. Sixty-nine adolescents (M = 16.51 years; SD = 1.63) who received a solid organ transplant (kidney: n = 25; liver: n = 24; heart: n = 20) completed self-report measures of sleep quality, psychosocial functioning, and HRQOL. Adolescent transplant recipients endorsed significantly lower levels of sleep quality (ie, falling asleep) compared with previously published norms of healthy peers (t = -3.60; P ≤ .001). Higher sleep quality was significantly associated with fewer anxiety and depressive symptoms (r = -.31 to -.40), and higher physical and psychosocial HRQOL (r = .33-.43). Adolescents from minority backgrounds had significantly worse sleep quality compared with non-Hispanic Whites. Adolescent transplant recipients, particularly those from minority backgrounds, may be at increased risk for experiencing poor sleep quality. Suboptimal sleep is a risk factor for higher levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms, as well as lower levels of physical and psychosocial HRQOL. Sleep is an important modifiable factor that, if improved, may contribute to lower anxiety/depressive symptoms and better HRQOL in adolescent transplant recipients., (© 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Objective: Parents and siblings of children with chronic illnesses are at increased risk for experiencing psychosocial difficulties. Therapeutic recreation camps have become increasingly popular among these families. The current systematic literature review provides a synthesis of research on how these camps impact the parents and siblings of children facing a variety of chronic health conditions., Methods: Databases searched: PubMed, PsycInfo, SportDISCUS, and Health Source Nursing/Academic Edition. Inclusion criteria included publication in a peer-reviewed journal between January 2000 and May 2018, written in the English language, and assessment of parent, sibling, or family outcomes., Results: Twenty-one studies were included. Results indicated that camp attendance relates to positive changes in parent and sibling psychosocial outcomes. Additionally, parents report camp to be a place of social support and respite from daily life, and siblings find camp to be enjoyable and a place of belonging. Given the limited number of methodologically sound studies examining family functioning, it is not yet clear the extent to which camp influences family-level outcomes., Conclusion: Overall, camp appears to have a positive impact on parents and siblings across chronic illness populations. Future research should specifically assess family outcomes, including communication and family functioning, and the impact of incorporating well-defined interventions and education programming into the traditional therapeutic recreation camp experience., (© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Pediatric Psychology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

The current cross-sectional, single-center study aimed to examine sleep quality in a sample of adolescents awaiting solid organ transplantation and to explore associations between sleep quality and both health-related quality of life and barriers to adherence. Thirty adolescents between the ages of 12 and 18 years (M age = 15.26, SD = 1.89) who were awaiting transplantation participated in this study. Participants completed measures of sleep quality, health-related quality of life, and barriers to adherence. T test and correlational analyses were performed to examine study aims. Adolescents awaiting transplantation had significantly lower levels of overall sleep quality compared to published norms of healthy peers. Domains of sleep quality were positively related to emotional and psychosocial health-related quality of life. Sleep quality domains were also negatively related to adherence barriers. This study provides preliminary evidence demonstrating that sleep quality among transplant candidates is compromised, and that poor sleep quality is related to adolescents' functioning across a number of domains during the pretransplant period. Results highlight the clinical importance of assessing and targeting sleep functioning in adolescents awaiting transplantation in order to reduce the negative influence of suboptimal sleep on functioning during this vulnerable period., (© 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Objective: To (a) examine levels of medication nonadherence in adolescent and young adult (AYA) solid organ transplant recipients based on AYA- and caregiver proxy-reported nonadherence to different medication types and the medication-level variability index (MLVI) for tacrolimus, and (b) examine associations of adherence barriers and AYA and caregiver emotional distress symptoms with reported nonadherence and the MLVI., Method: The sample included 47 AYAs (M age = 16.67 years, SD = 1.74; transplant types: 25% kidney, 47% liver, 28% heart) and their caregivers (94 total participants). AYAs and caregivers reported on AYAs' adherence barriers and their own emotional functioning. Nonadherence was measured with AYA self- and caregiver proxy-report and the MLVI for tacrolimus., Results: The majority of AYAs and caregivers denied nonadherence, with lower rates of nonadherence reported for antirejection medications. In contrast, 40% of AYAs' MLVI values indicated nonadherence to tacrolimus. AYAs and caregivers who verbally acknowledged nonadherence had more AYA barriers and greater caregiver emotional distress symptoms compared with those who denied nonadherence. AYAs with MLVIs indicating nonadherence had more barriers than AYAs with MLVIs indicating adherence., Conclusions: Multimethod nonadherence evaluations for AYA transplant recipients should assess objective nonadherence using the MLVI, particularly in light of low reported nonadherence rates for antirejection medications. Assessments should include adherence barriers measures, given associations with the MLVI, and potentially prioritize assessing barriers over gauging nonadherence via self- or proxy-reports. Caregiver emotional distress symptoms may also be considered to provide insight into family or environmental barriers to adherence.

Purpose: This study aimed to examine differences in transition readiness, self-involvement and parental involvement in completing medical tasks, and general self-efficacy between a sample of older adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with medical conditions and a sample of healthy peers. Relations among these variables were also examined., Methods: The sample included 494 AYAs (mean age = 19.30 years, standard deviation = 1.33) who reported on their levels of transition readiness, self-involvement and parental involvement in completing medical tasks, and general self-efficacy., Results: AYAs with medical conditions reported significantly higher levels of transition readiness and self-involvement in completing medical tasks and lower levels of parent involvement in completing medical tasks than healthy peers. Parent involvement in completing medical tasks indirectly related to transition readiness through AYA self-involvement in completing medical tasks for both AYAs with medical conditions and healthy peers., Conclusions: AYAs with medical conditions appear to have greater transition readiness skills and demonstrate more independence in completing medical tasks than healthy peers. For AYAs with medical conditions and healthy peers, transition readiness appears to be enhanced as parents decrease their involvement in completing AYAs' medical tasks and AYAs increase self-involvement in completing these tasks. AYAs with medical conditions, as well as healthy peers, may benefit from programming delivered in primary care, specialty clinic, or educational settings that focuses on increasing AYAs' involvement in and responsibility for managing their health care., (Copyright © 2017 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The study aimed to examine parent personality factors as predictors of parent medication knowledge and parent-report of child medication adherence., Method: Seventy-eight parents (Mage = 37.68, 87.2% female) of children (Mage = 8.89, range: 0-20 years) undergoing evaluation for a solid organ transplant were recruited. Parents completed questionnaires about their personality, knowledge of their child's medications, and their child's level of medication adherence., Results: Greater time since the child's diagnosis predicted lower levels of medication knowledge, while higher levels of Neuroticism and Extraversion predicted greater levels of medication knowledge. Greater medication knowledge predicted greater levels of medication adherence, with this effect being moderated by conscientiousness. Children of parents with low knowledge and low conscientiousness had the lowest levels of adherence., Conclusions: Parent personality is significantly related to medication knowledge and children's adherence prior to transplant. As parent personality is theoretically stable, Neuroticism (N), Extraversion (E), and Conscientiousness (C) serve as risk and protective factors that may influence medication knowledge and adherence even after transplantation. Parent medication knowledge and adherence are modifiable factors that would be appropriate targets for intervention during the pretransplant period. (PsycINFO Database Record, ((c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).)

This study aimed both to evaluate caregivers' perspectives of EF and transition readiness among adolescent transplant recipients and to examine the indirect effects of adolescent responsibility and parent involvement across domains of EF. Fifty-seven caregivers of adolescent solid organ transplant recipients participated in this study and completed measures of adolescent EF, transition readiness, responsibility in healthcare behavior, and parent involvement. Bootstrapping procedures were used to test indirect effects. Caregiver report of adolescent EF was significantly related to transition readiness among transplant recipients. Significant indirect effects were found for adolescent responsibility but not parent involvement. No significant differences were found between metacognitive and behavioral regulation domains of EF in the association with transition readiness. Assessment of adolescent EF skills may help guide the development of individualized transition readiness guidelines to promote successful gains in self-management abilities as well as eventual transfer to adult medical services., (© 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Although there is evidence that environmental consequences for displaying tics and internalizing symptoms are related to tic severity in children with TS, less is known about the inter-relationships of these variables or how these factors jointly contribute to tic severity. This study included 45 children with Tourette syndrome. Caregivers reported on children's environmental consequences for displaying tics, internalizing symptoms, and tic severity. Results indicated that children with higher levels of internalizing symptoms experienced significantly more environmental consequences for displaying tics. Children with higher levels of separation anxiety symptoms demonstrated significantly greater tic severity. Environmental consequences for displaying tics accounted for significantly more variance in predicting tic severity than anxiety symptoms. This preliminary evidence suggests that environmental consequences for displaying tics, such as receiving accommodations or attention from others, have a greater influence on children's tic severity than emotional factors.

Poor adherence to self-care among youth with type-1 diabetes (YWD) can lead to significant long-term health problems. Negative diabetes-related emotions (NDRE) are common, and are significantly correlated with poor/deteriorating A1c. Resilient youth handle diabetes self-care challenges, such as adjusting for diabetes in public, better. Resiliency skills and perceptions include benefit finding (BF), fitting in with friends (FI), diabetes acceptance (DA), emotion processing (EP) and emotion expression (EE). First study goal: to verify structure of underlying measurement variables: NDRE, EP, EE, BF, DA, FI and comfort in adjusting for diabetes in public (CA) among youth 11-16 yr of age with diabetes. We also hypothesize: (i) YWD who engage in EP and EE will have higher levels of BF, FI, DA, (ii) EP and EE will moderate NDRE impact and (iii) higher levels of EP, EE, BF, FI and DA will be associated with higher CA., Subjects: 243 summer diabetes campers between 11-16 yr of age., Methods: Pre-camp survey., Results: Measurement variables were verified. EP and EE to friends were positively associated with BF, FI and DA for most YWD. NDRE was negatively associated with FI and DA, and for YWD aged 14-16 yr with CA. FI was positively associated with CA. EE moderated the impact of NDRE on CA among youth 11-13 yr. R 2 for CA in youth 14-16 yr was 48.2%, for 11-13 yr was 38.3%. DA was positively associated with CA for youth 14-16 yr., Conclusions: Resilience factors appear to influence CA either directly or indirectly., (© 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

The goal of this study was to compare pretransplant patient HRQOL, parent psychological functioning, and the impact of the patient's ongoing illness on the family between organ types (ie, kidney, liver, heart) and age-groups (ie, children, AYAs). The sample included 80 pediatric patients with end-stage organ disease who were evaluated for transplantation and their parents. Parents completed self- and proxy reports at patients' pretransplant evaluations. Results indicated that patients evaluated for heart transplants consistently had lower HRQOL and their parents had greater psychological distress compared to the kidney and liver groups. Within the heart group, parents and families of children (<12 years old) experienced significantly more distress and impact of the patient's illness on the family compared to those of AYAs (≥12 years old). Pediatric patients awaiting heart transplants, particularly younger children, and their parents and families may have greater psychosocial needs compared to patients awaiting kidney or liver transplants., (© 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Children and adolescents with Tourette syndrome are at risk for social, emotional, and behavioral difficulties that may negatively influence feelings of self-competence and attitudes toward having this diagnosis. Attending a camp for children with Tourette syndrome may facilitate improvements in overall socio-emotional and behavioral functioning and self-perception. The current study obtained data from 37 campers (76 % male, 24 % female) and 47 caregivers of campers to investigate changes in children's emotional and behavioral functioning, self-perception (i.e., social and general), attitudes towards having Tourette syndrome, and how different they felt from peers after attending a 1-week summer camp for youth with Tourette syndrome using a pre-post design. Results indicated that campers endorsed a significantly improved sense of social self-competence and more favorable attitudes toward having Tourette syndrome post-camp. Campers also tended to endorse feeling less different than peers at camp versus peers in general. Caregivers endorsed significantly less severe symptoms associated with Tourette syndrome for campers after attending camp. No pre-to-post-camp changes were observed for campers' levels of anxiety or obsessive-compulsive symptoms. These preliminary findings suggest that attending camp or having other opportunities to interact with similar peers may promote better perceptions of social self-competence, more favorable attitudes toward having Tourette syndrome, and a stronger sense of affiliation with peers for children with Tourette syndrome.

OBJECTIVE : To evaluate levels of executive functioning in a sample of adolescent and young adult (AYA) transplant recipients, and to examine executive functioning in association with barriers to adherence and medication nonadherence.  METHOD : In all, 41 caregivers and 39 AYAs were administered self- and proxy-report measures.  RESULTS : AYA transplant recipients have significant impairments in executive functioning abilities. Greater dysfunction in specific domains of executive functioning was significantly associated with more barriers to adherence and greater medication nonadherence.  CONCLUSION : AYA transplant recipients are at increased risk for executive dysfunction. The assessment of executive functioning abilities may guide intervention efforts designed to decrease barriers to adherence and promote developmentally appropriate levels of treatment responsibility., (© The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Pediatric Psychology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is a multidimensional constructinfluenced by disease, individual, and environmental factors. Greater disease activity (DA) predicts poorer HRQoL, but disease status alone does not fully account for individual variability in HRQoL. This investigation tested the role of patient and caregiver internalizing symptoms in explaining the relationship between DA and patient HRQoL., Methods: Participants included 83 subjects aged 11 to 18 diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease and their caregiver. Patients reported on their HRQoL. Caregivers rated their own depressive symptoms and patients' internalizing symptoms (depression, anxiety, and somatization). Physicians rated DA., Results: Greater DA was positively associated with subjects' internalizing symptoms and negatively associated with HRQoL. Mediation analyses found support for significant indirect effects on the relationship between DA and HRQoL through the subjects' internalizing symptoms, through their internalizing symptoms and caregivers' depressive symptoms, sequentially., Conclusions: Greater DA independently relates to poorer HRQoL. In addition, DA relates to greater child internalizing problems which in turn relate to higher levels of caregiver depressive symptoms and poorer HRQoL. Providers may consider a family-based approach to screen for internalizing problems, especially in patients with active disease, because caregiver and child mood symptoms may partially explain worsening child HRQoL.

The Readiness for Transition Questionnaire- provider version (RTQ-Provider) was developed to evaluate adolescent patients' transition readiness and healthcare behaviors from the perspective of the healthcare provider. The RTQ-Provider is a parallel version of the RTQ-Teen and RTQ-Parent completed by patients and parents. This study seeks to evaluate the psychometric properties of the RTQ-Provider and its utility as a clinical transition planning tool. Participants consisted of 49 kidney transplant recipients between the ages of 15 and 21. The RTQ-Provider was completed by the pediatric nephrologist and psychologist from the multidisciplinary healthcare team and compared to RTQ data from teens and parents. The RTQ-Provider demonstrated good-to-excellent internal consistency and interrater reliability. Construct validity was supported through significant predictive relationships between providers' perceptions of transition readiness and older patient age, increased patient healthcare responsibility, and decreased parent involvement in health care. By providing parallel teen, parent, and provider forms, the RTQ has the potential to foster open communication between patients, families, and healthcare team members regarding transition readiness. The study provides initial support for the RTQ-Provider as a clinical tool to assess providers' perceptions of transition readiness; however, future longitudinal research is needed to evaluate predictive validity following patients' transfer to adult care., (© 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Objective: To evaluate self-competence, health-related quality of life (HRQOL), and emotional/behavioral functioning in children with Tourette syndrome (TS) compared to normative data and to examine self-competence as a potential protective factor against poorer HRQOL and emotional/behavioral outcomes in this population., Method: Thirty-nine children between the ages of 8 and 17 years and 72 caregivers participated in this study. Participants completed measures of children's HRQOL, emotional/behavioral functioning, and self-competence., Results: Participants reported significantly lower levels of emotional/behavioral functioning and HRQOL compared with norms of healthy children. No significant differences were found in domains of perceived self-competence. Social and general self-competence domains were significantly and positively correlated with most emotional and behavioral outcomes examined. Only social self-competence was significantly correlated with domains of HRQOL., Conclusion: Self-competence, particularly in the social realm, may play a protective role against lower HRQOL and worse emotional and behavioral outcomes in children with TS. Children with this condition may benefit from self-competence-promoting interventions targeting children's perceptions of their own abilities.

Solid organ transplantation requires ongoing adherence to immunosuppressants and other medications. Although adolescence is a risk factor for poor medication-taking, little is known about the patterns of adherence within individuals over time. This study aimed to examine the stability of adherence over time using three different assessment techniques. Sixty-six AYA transplant recipients and/or their caregiver completed interviews of adherence at baseline and at least one yr later. Serum immunosuppressant assay levels were collected via medical chart review. Non-adherence percentages based on AYA report, caregiver report, and bioassay did not differ from Time 1 to Time 2. However, correlations for these measures across time were non-significant. Further, the majority of AYAs shifted to a different adherence category from Time 1 to Time 2. Overall, these results demonstrate individual variability in non-adherence over the course of adolescence and young adulthood and highlight the importance of frequent assessment across time for solid organ transplant recipients., (© 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Objective: The current study used multiple statistical methods to determine empirically derived and clinically relevant cutoff scores on the Adolescent Medication Barriers Scale (AMBS) and Parent Medication Barriers Scale (PMBS) to detect adolescents and young adults with solid organ transplants who experienced medication nonadherence or negative medical outcomes., Methods: Participants included 71 patients and 80 caregivers. Cutoff scores were determined via receiver operating characteristic curve analyses, t-test analyses, and the sensitivity and specificity of using certain cutoff scores., Results: AMBS scores of ≥3 barriers and PMBS scores of ≥2 barriers were determined as the ideal cutoffs for identifying patients meeting criteria for the outcome variables., Conclusions: Clinicians should consider using these recommended cutoff scores when assessing adherence barriers in adolescents and young adults with solid organ transplants and their families. Patients or caregivers endorsing barriers above the cutoffs may benefit from further assessment or intervention to address barriers, nonadherence, or related medical issues., (© The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Pediatric Psychology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

This study aimed to evaluate the degree of agreement between parent proxy- and child self-report on measures of child psychosocial functioning and health-related quality of life in children with Tourette syndrome. Participants included 28 children with Tourette syndrome and their parents. All participants provided ratings of children's level of quality of life and psychosocial functioning. Results revealed strong, positive relationships between child self- and parent proxy-reports on all quality of life and psychosocial functioning domains. Parents perceived significantly higher levels of depression compared to their children, whereas children reported significantly lower Physical quality of life compared to their parents. Results suggest that assessment of quality of life and psychosocial functioning should include multiple reporters whenever feasible. Caution should be used when exclusively relying on parent proxy-reports of quality of life and psychosocial functioning, as these reports may not accurately reflect children's difficulties or perceptions of their functioning., (© The Author(s) 2014.)

Objective: Higher levels of barriers are related to lower medication adherence and negative medical outcomes in pediatric transplant recipients. Although total number of barriers appears to be stable over time, it is unclear whether the same is true for specific barriers. This study examined the frequency of endorsement and the stability of specific barriers over 18 months., Method: Participants included 63 parents and 51 adolescents and young adults. Transplant types included 39 kidneys, 16 livers, 10 hearts, and 1 double lung. Participants completed measures of perceived barriers to adherence at Time 1 (T1) and Time 2 (T2)., Results: The majority of parent- and adolescent-reported specific barriers showed a positive relationship from T1 to T2. Few specific barriers showed significant differences in the level of endorsement between time points., Conclusion: Specific barriers to medication adherence tend to be stable over time. Patients' specific barriers appear unlikely to change without targeted intervention., (© The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Pediatric Psychology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Objectives: To compare participants' self-competence levels to normative data and examine self-competence as a potential protective factor against poorer health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and psychosocial adjustment in children with pacemakers., Methods: Twenty-seven children between the ages of 8 and 18 years and their caregivers were recruited from a pediatric pacemaker clinic. Participants completed self-report and parent-proxy measures of children's health-related quality of life (HRQOL), self-competence, and psychosocial functioning, which included externalizing and internalizing symptoms, adaptive skills, and behavioral symptoms., Results: Participants reported significantly lower levels of self-competence compared to healthy norms. Self-competence was significantly and positively correlated with most HRQOL domains. Few significant correlations emerged between self-competence and various domains of psychosocial functioning., Conclusion: Self-competence may function as a protective factor against lower HRQOL in children with pacemakers. There was less evidence that self-competence may play a protective role against lower adaptive skills and higher externalizing, internalizing, and behavioral symptoms. Clinical implications of these findings, limitations of the study, and areas for future research are discussed.

With improved health care, increasing numbers of children and adolescents with chronic illness and disability now live into adulthood. With this change, the health care community needs to address problems related to the transition from parents caring for their young children's needs to increasing health care responsibility being required of adolescents and young adults (AYA). The current article presents a conceptualization of relevant research related to the transition of health care responsibility from parent to AYA. Using a developmental systems perspective, representative literature on adolescent and dyad-level factors related to the transition of health care responsibility is reviewed to inform clinical practice and future intervention research. To identify the health care tasks that researchers have thus far considered as most important for successful transition, we review assessment measures in this area. The varying levels of agreement on transition of health care behaviors provide an index of current thought by experts in this field. Those behaviors consistently identified as key for successful transition of responsibility from parent to adolescent are outlined to inform future research and clinical practice.

Objective: This study assessed relationships among internalizing symptoms, barriers to medication adherence, and medication adherence in adolescents with solid organ transplants., Method: The sample included 72 adolescents who had received solid organ transplants. Multiple mediator models were tested via bootstrapping methods., Results: Bivariate correlations revealed significant relationships between barriers and internalizing symptoms of depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress, as well as between internalizing symptoms and medication adherence. Barriers indicative of adaptation to the medication regimen (e.g., forgetting, lack of organization) were related to medication adherence and mediated the relationship between internalizing symptoms and medication adherence., Conclusions: These findings indicate that barriers may serve as a more specific factor in the relationship between more general, pervasive internalizing symptoms and medication adherence. Results may help guide areas for clinical assessment, and the focus of interventions for adolescent transplant recipients who are experiencing internalizing symptoms and/or who are nonadherent to their medication regimen.

Prior research evaluating health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among pediatric patients with internal cardiac devices has primarily focused on children with cardiac defibrillators, with scant attention devoted to pacemaker recipients. Social support has been conceptualized as a protective factor that partially accounts for differences in HRQOL. This study compares the HRQOL of children with pacemakers with that of healthy children, and examines associations between HRQOL and social support. Twenty-seven pediatric pacemaker recipients completed measures of HRQOL and social support. Their parents also completed measures of child HRQOL. High concordance was found for child and parent-proxy reports of child HRQOL. Children with pacemakers and their parents both reported relatively low child HRQOL when compared to published normative data for healthy children and parents of healthy children. Family and friends emerged as the sources of support positively associated with the greatest number of HRQOL domains. In conclusion, these findings suggest that pediatric pacemaker recipients experience lower levels of HRQOL compared to healthy peers, and that social support from those closest to the child is associated with their perceived HRQOL.

Objectives: Evaluate the factor structure of youth and maternal involvement ratings on the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Family Responsibility Questionnaire, a measure of family allocation of condition management responsibilities in pediatric inflammatory bowel disease., Methods: Participants included 251 youth aged 11-18 years with inflammatory bowel disease and their mothers. Item-level descriptive analyses, subscale internal consistency estimates, and confirmatory factor analyses of youth and maternal involvement were conducted using a dyadic data-analytic approach., Results: Results supported the validity of 4 conceptually derived subscales including general health maintenance, social aspects, condition management tasks, and nutrition domains. Additionally, results indicated adequate support for the factor structure of a 21-item youth involvement measure and strong support for a 16-item maternal involvement measure., Conclusions: Additional empirical support for the validity of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Family Responsibility Questionnaire was provided. Future research to replicate current findings and to examine the measure's clinical utility is warranted.

Objective: To examine the occurrence of internalizing symptoms and functional disability in children with noncardiac chest pain (NCCP) compared with children with innocent heart murmurs (IHMs)., Method: 67 children with NCCP (M [SD] age = 12.61 [2.63]; 68.7% Caucasian) and 62 children with IHM (M [SD] age = 12.67 [2.62]; 50% Caucasian) were recruited from pediatric cardiology offices. Children and parents completed measures of psychological functioning and functional disability during a first visit to the cardiologist before diagnosis., Results: Children with NCCP reported greater levels of anxiety, depression, and anxiety sensitivity than children with IHM. Children with NCCP and their parents reported greater levels of functional disability and somatization than children with IHM and their parents., Conclusion: Children with NCCP experience greater levels of psychosocial distress and impairment than similarly physically healthy children with IHM. Consideration of psychosocial influences on NCCP would likely be beneficial in aiding assessment and treatment.

Objectives: To examine the relationship between behavioral functioning specific to levels of attention and conduct problems and prescription medication adherence in youth with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and examine the mediational role of perceived barriers to adherence. Identifying potentially malleable factors associated with poor adherence such as behavioral functioning and barriers may guide treatment., Methods: 85 adolescents with IBD and their parents completed measures of adherence, attention and conduct problems, and barriers. To examine mediation models, indirect effects were tested using bootstrapping procedures outlined by Preacher & Hayes (2004, 2008)., Results: The majority of participants reported normative levels of attention and conduct problems. Higher levels of attention problems, conduct problems, and barriers were negatively associated with adherence. Bootstrapping procedures indicated that barriers mediated the effects of behavioral functioning on adherence., Conclusions: Barriers may be a proximal factor contributing to the relationship between everyday behavioral functioning and adherence in youth with IBD.

Objective: This study investigated factors related to health care utilization (HCU) among patients presenting to pediatric cardiologists with symptoms of chest pain later diagnosed as noncardiac chest pain (NCCP)., Methods: Participants included 67 children and adolescents diagnosed with NCCP and their parent. Measures of HCU, pain severity, and child self-report and parent self-report of anxiety and depression were collected at the cardiologist's office. The child's sex was examined as a moderator of HCU., Results: Pain severity and maternal and child depression were significant contributors to the variance in child HCU. The relationship between depression and HCU was moderated by the child's sex, with boys higher in levels of maternal or child depression reporting greater HCU., Conclusions: Psychological factors are related to HCU for children with NCCP, with depression positively associated with HCU. The child's sex plays an important role in depression and HCU. Family-focused psychological screening of pediatric patients with NCCP may aid in identifying families who may benefit from referrals for psychological assessment and treatment., (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved.)