Anticipatory guidance for the adolescent: parents' concerns

Pediatricians must be responsive to the needs, expectations and concerns of young adult patients and their families, if they want to provide comprehensive services. Parents' opinions regarding anticipatory guidance for adolescents have not been adequately addressed. Nine hundred thirty-two parents of adolescents completed a computerized questionnaire that included 30 common psychosocial-medical concerns of adolescents. Parents were asked to rate the importance of having private pediatricians discuss the topics listed with their teenage patients during regular checkups. Ten of the items were rated as being important by more than 90% of the parents, 22 items by more than 80% and 29 items by more than 66%. In paying attention to parents' expectations and concerns, pediatricians should incorporate discussions of psychosocial-medical issues as a meaningful part of routine adolescent health care.