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Objectives Assessing the impact of interdisciplinary training programs is highly desirable and needed. However, there are currently no established methods to prospectively assess long-term outcomes of trainees compared to individuals who did not receive training. Our objective was to test the feasibility of a longitudinal, prospective cohort design to evaluate training outcomes, and to use this method to evaluate Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities and Related Disorders (LEND) training outcomes. Methods LEND trainees were matched to comparison peers and followed annually for up to five years using a pre-existing outcomes survey. We assessed study feasibility using recruitment and retention data over five years. We then looked at preliminary efficacy of LEND training in LEND trainees compared to comparison peers using the pre-existing outcomes survey. Results Overall, 68.3% of eligible trainees participated in the Outcomes Study across five years, and 66.0% were matched to comparison peers. On average, 84.4% of LEND trainees and 79.9% of comparison peers completed the outcomes survey annually. Attrition was low at 0.9% for LEND trainees and 2.6% for comparison peers over five years. LEND training demonstrated preliminary efficacy in promoting leadership development: LEND trainees began their careers engaged in more leadership activities than comparison peers, and the rate of growth in their participation in leadership activities was greater. Conclusions The design used to assess outcomes is a feasible approach that can be widely used to assess training program outcomes. Analyses suggest that LEND training is efficacious in increasing involvement in leadership activities over time after graduation., Author(s): Lauren Bishop [sup.1] [sup.2] , Anne Bradford Harris [sup.1] , Paula C. Rabidoux [sup.3] , Sarah F. Laughlin [sup.4] [sup.5] , Kiley J. McLean [sup.1] [sup.2] , Robert B. [...]

Providing evidence-based supportive care for children with cancer has the potential to optimize treatment outcomes and improve quality of life. The Children's Oncology Group (COG) Supportive Care Guidelines Subcommittee conducted a systematic review to identify current supportive care clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) relevant to childhood cancer or pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplant. Only 22 papers met the 2011 Institute of Medicine criteria to be considered a CPG. The results highlight the paucity of CPGs available to pediatric oncology healthcare professionals and the pressing need to create CPGs using current methodological standards.

The Children's Depression Inventory (CDI) is used to screen for depression in children aged 7 years to 16 years. The purpose of this study is to examine the psychometrics of the CDI in a sample of children who are chronically ill (N = 350) and in a sample of matched community comparison peers (N = 357), and determine if the psychometrics of the scale are similar in both groups. Data were aggregated from previous reports examining social and emotional functioning of children with six chronic diseases and matched comparisons. The CDI was completed in the homes of all participants. No significant differences between groups on CDI scores, distributions, reliability, or validity were observed. Findings suggest that the psychometrics of the CDI are similar for children with chronic diseases compared with typically developing children. The CDI may be an effective screening tool for use with children who have chronic health conditions.

Problem-solving skills training is an intervention designed to teach coping skills that has shown to decrease negative affectivity (depressive symptoms, negative mood, and post-traumatic stress symptoms) in mothers of children with cancer. The objective of this study was to see whether mothers of children recently diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder would be receptive to receiving problem-solving skills training (feasibility trial). Participants were recruited from a local outpatient developmental clinic that is part of a university department of pediatrics. Participants were to receive eight 1-h sessions of problem-solving skills training and were asked to complete assessments prior to beginning problem-solving skills training (T1), immediately after intervention (T2), and 3?months after T2 (T3). Outcome measures assessed problem-solving skills and negative affectivity (i.e. distress). In total, 30 mothers were approached and 24 agreed to participate (80.0%). Of them, 17 mothers completed problem-solving skills training (retention rate: 70.8%). Mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder who completed problem-solving skills training had significant decreases in negative affectivity and increases in problem-solving skills. A comparison to mothers of children with cancer shows that mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder displayed similar levels of depressive symptoms but less negative mood and fewer symptoms of post-traumatic stress. Data suggest that problem-solving skills training may be an effective way to alleviate distress in mothers of children recently diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Data also suggest that mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder were moderately receptive to receiving problem-solving skills training. Implications are that problem-solving skills training may be beneficial to parents of children with autism spectrum disorder; modifications to improve retention rates are suggested.

Objective The aim of this study was to examine the emotional well-being of pediatric brain tumor survivors (PBTS) from the perspective of children's self-reports and parents' reports relative to matched comparison peers (COMP) and their parents. It was hypothesized that PBTS would self-report more depression symptoms, loneliness, and lower self-concept than COMP. We also hypothesized that mothers and fathers of PBTS would report more internalizing symptoms and lower total competence for their children. Age and sex effects were examined in exploratory analyses. Methods Families of 187 PBTS and 186 COMP participated across 5 sites. Eligible children in the PBTS group were 8–15 years of age and 1–5 years post-treatment for a primary intracranial tumor without progressive disease. COMP were classmates matched for sex, race, and age. Results PBTS self-reported lower scholastic, athletic, and social competence, but not more depression, loneliness, or lower global self-worth than COMP. Parents of PBTS reported more internalizing symptoms and lower total competence than parents of COMP. With few exceptions, group differences did not vary as a function of child age and sex. Conclusion PBTS reported diminished self-concept in scholastic, athletic, and social domains, while their parents reported broader challenges with internalizing symptoms and total competence. Discrepancies between self-report and parent report require further study to inform targeted interventions for PBTS. Screening survivors for emotional challenges in follow-up clinic or in school setting may help with the allocation of psychosocial support and services for PBTS and their families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analyzed preference for same-sex peers in 326 second through ninth graders. Found that same-sex preference occurred at all ages, decreased with age, was due more to a positive bias toward same-sex peers rather than negative bias against other-sex peers, and changed primarily as a function of liking for same-sex peers. Suggests that two processes underlie same-sex preference. (Author/KB)

Scores on the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment were higher for control families than for families with an alcoholic father. For preschool sons of alcoholic fathers, overall developmental quotient, motor development, and social development were less advanced than for control children. (BC)

Results show that the ability to identify the odor of alcoholic beverages and know the norms for use of alcoholic beverages exists among preschool children. Findings also show that at least some aspects of that ability are enhanced by living in a family whose drinking pattern indicates heavy consumption of alcoholic beverages. (RH)