Based on a conference that assembled experts in the field of pediatric compliance in chronic illness, this book presents the latest data and conceptual models of adherence to treatment and recommendations for new directions in the field. Interdisciplinary in approach, the contributors represent a broad array of disciplines, including anthropology, pediatrics, psychology, and sociology. Designed to address critical gaps in the understanding of adherence/compliance to treatment regiments for children with chronic health conditions, this book reviews: *conceptual models used to define adherence treatment and conduct research; *the influences on treatment adherence to chronic illness in children; *the impact of adherence to treatment on children's health and psychological development; *strategies of interventions to promote adherence and reduce noncompliance rates; *methodological and measurement problems in the assessment of treatment adherence; and *recommended research priorities for the measurement of adherence and applications of interventions and training in the treatment of pediatric chronic illness.

This volume's purpose is to describe concepts and methods concerning assessment of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in children and adolescents with a special focus on chronic health conditions. The impetus for this book came from a recognition of the increasing importance of HRQOL assessments in the evaluation of treatment outcomes and the need to increase the utilization of HRQOL assessments in research and clinical applications with a range of pediatric populations. The need to develop a volume that describes new research and clinical applications concerning this topic stemmed from several recent developments. There is a continuing need for evaluations of the efficacy of medical treatments for children and adolescents, including those with chronic health conditions.
To address these critical unmet needs in the field of HRQOL assessment, and to advance scientific methods and clinical applications in this field, a conference was held at Case Western Reserve University. The conference set out to summarize current information concerning the development and implementation of measures of HRQOL assessment, to identify and consider key conceptual and methodological issues in research concerning the measurement of HRQOL, and to recommend priorities to advance the state-of-the-art in research and clinical applications of QOL assessment in children and adolescents with chronic health conditions. This volume summarizes and synthesizes the information that was presented by the conference participants in a series of lively discussions and chapters that were based on the presentations.

This volume's purpose is to describe concepts and methods concerning assessment of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in children and adolescents with a special focus on chronic health conditions. The impetus for this book came from a recognition of the increasing importance of HRQOL assessments in the evaluation of treatment outcomes and the need to increase the utilization of HRQOL assessments in research and clinical applications with a range of pediatric populations. The need to develop a volume that describes new research and clinical applications concerning this topic stemmed from several recent developments. There is a continuing need for evaluations of the efficacy of medical treatments for children and adolescents, including those with chronic health conditions.
To address these critical unmet needs in the field of HRQOL assessment, and to advance scientific methods and clinical applications in this field, a conference was held at Case Western Reserve University. The conference set out to summarize current information concerning the development and implementation of measures of HRQOL assessment, to identify and consider key conceptual and methodological issues in research concerning the measurement of HRQOL, and to recommend priorities to advance the state-of-the-art in research and clinical applications of QOL assessment in children and adolescents with chronic health conditions. This volume summarizes and synthesizes the information that was presented by the conference participants in a series of lively discussions and chapters that were based on the presentations.

Based on a conference that assembled experts in the field of pediatric compliance in chronic illness, this book presents the latest data and conceptual models of adherence to treatment and recommendations for new directions in the field. Interdisciplinary in approach, the contributors represent a broad array of disciplines, including anthropology, pediatrics, psychology, and sociology.
Designed to address critical gaps in the understanding of adherence/compliance to treatment regiments for children with chronic health conditions, this book reviews:
*conceptual models used to define adherence treatment and conduct research;
*the influences on treatment adherence to chronic illness in children;
*the impact of adherence to treatment on children's health and psychological development;
*strategies of interventions to promote adherence and reduce noncompliance rates;
*methodological and measurement problems in the assessment of treatment adherence; and
*recommended research priorities for the measurement of adherence and applications of interventions and training in the treatment of pediatric chronic illness.

The professional development of researchers is critical for the future development ofthe fields of pediatric and clinical child psychology. In order to conduct research in pediatric and clinical child psychology, researchers need to work with a wide range of populations and master an increasingly wide range of skills, many of which are either not formally taught or considered in sufficient depth in clinical training. Such skills include the development of resources for research by writing grants to government agencies and foundations; skills in preparing research for publications concerning original research, review articles, or case reports; scien tific presentation skills; the ability to review and edit scientific manuscripts; and to implement and manage research in applied settings. Moreover, the increasing complexity of research in pediatric and clinical child psychology requires success ful researchers in these fields to develop their expertise with a wide range of new specialized methodologies, data analytic methods, models of data analysis, and methods of assessment. Finally, to enhance the relevance of their research to practice, researchers in pediatric and clinical child psychology need to integrate their work with clinical service delivery programs that are based on empirical research. The necessity to train researchers in pediatric and clinical child psychology in such multifaceted knowledge and skills places extraordinary burdens on profes sional training programs. Professional researchers in pediatric and child clinical psychology also are challenged to develop new knowledge and skills through continuing education and faculty development programs."

Failure to thrive affects the lives of many infants and young children at critical times in their development and represents a significant public health problem in the United States. Moreover, this condition is invisible and can affect children for long periods of time before it is recognized. The long-term psychosocial sequelae of failure to thrive have only begun to be recognized but may be more severe than first realized. We do know that the costs to society in terms of acute pediatric hospitalization and long-term rehabilitation, foster care, and mental health treatment of young children who present with failure to thrive are considerable. Children who are diagnosed with failure to thrive represent a special challenge and opportunity for intervention, especially preventive intervention, because it is quite possible that many of the long-term consequences of this condi tion on psychological development can be lessened via early recognition and intervention. However, the potential for preventive intervention in failure to thrive has been limited by the state of the art in scientific knowledge and practice. Despite the frequency with which failure to thrive is encounter ed in ambulatory and inpatient settings, there is little scientific infor mation to guide practitioners. Research on the causes and consequences of failure to thrive has been very much limited by small sample sizes, lack of common definitions, and short follow-up periods. Uncertainties in the science of failure to thrive coincide with the considerable practical difficulties involved in diagnosis and inte vention."

This practical book describes the latest collaborative clinical work, research, and teaching between psychologists and pediatricians in medical settings during the 1990s. The author and his colleagues thoroughly detail the benefits and pitfalls of interdisciplinary collaboration-offering a unique perspective on pediatric psychology and identifying potential areas for future research. This volume also features a descriptive model of collaborate activities and discusses professional and practical issues; empirical evaluations; development of pediatric psychology programs in academic settings; and the impact of health care reform on future research.

The professional development of researchers is critical for the future development ofthe fields of pediatric and clinical child psychology. In order to conduct research in pediatric and clinical child psychology, researchers need to work with a wide range of populations and master an increasingly wide range of skills, many of which are either not formally taught or considered in sufficient depth in clinical training. Such skills include the development of resources for research by writing grants to government agencies and foundations; skills in preparing research for publications concerning original research, review articles, or case reports; scien tific presentation skills; the ability to review and edit scientific manuscripts; and to implement and manage research in applied settings. Moreover, the increasing complexity of research in pediatric and clinical child psychology requires success ful researchers in these fields to develop their expertise with a wide range of new specialized methodologies, data analytic methods, models of data analysis, and methods of assessment. Finally, to enhance the relevance of their research to practice, researchers in pediatric and clinical child psychology need to integrate their work with clinical service delivery programs that are based on empirical research. The necessity to train researchers in pediatric and clinical child psychology in such multifaceted knowledge and skills places extraordinary burdens on profes sional training programs. Professional researchers in pediatric and child clinical psychology also are challenged to develop new knowledge and skills through continuing education and faculty development programs."

This practical book describes the latest collaborative clinical work, research, and teaching between psychologists and pediatricians in medical settings during the 1990s. The author and his colleagues thoroughly detail the benefits and pitfalls of interdisciplinary collaboration-offering a unique perspective on pediatric psychology and identifying potential areas for future research. This volume also features a descriptive model of collaborate activities and discusses professional and practical issues; empirical evaluations; development of pediatric psychology programs in academic settings; and the impact of health care reform on future research.