A novel approach to training pediatrics primary care residents.

From 1984 through 1987, 12 pediatrics residents from the Yale University School of Medicine took part in a three-year program that emphasized four areas in primary care: well-child care, developmental-behavioral pediatrics, chronic illness, and adolescent medicine. Program evaluation included a videotaped interview, an assessment of the residents' skill in the management of patients' behavioral problems, and multiple-choice examinations. The program residents improved their interviewing skills more than did the comparison residents, particularly in the process and psychosocial content areas, and also did better in the management of patients' behavioral problems. There was no difference in factual knowledge of behavioral and developmental pediatrics and adolescent medicine. While traditional residency training in primary care may provide the resident with comparable cognitive knowledge, such training may not always improve the resident's ability to apply the knowledge in the primary care setting.

Family interactions and sex education in the home.

Despite the tremendous growth of family systems theory in recent years, sex education within a family systems context has received little attention. This study examined patterns of interaction within the family and the possible relationship of these patterns to the amount of sex education occurring in the home. Ninety-six adolescents (ages 13-14, 43% male, 90% Caucasian) and the parents of 63 of them (61 mothers and 45 fathers) completed three questionnaires: (1) FACES-II, a measure which categorizes family interactions as Balanced, Midrange or Extreme based on the two dimensions of cohesiveness and adaptability; (2) the Parent-Adolescent Communication Scale; and (3) the Home Discussion Questionnaire, a measure of the amount of discussion about 17 sex education topics. Adolescents who reported open communication and satisfaction with family interactions reported significantly more sex education in the home. Although mothers' reports of sex education were not related to their perceptions of family communication or interactions, fathers who reported the healthiest family interactions also reported the most involvement in the sex education of their adolescent.

PIP: Despite the tremendous growth of family system theory in recent years, sex education within a family system context has received little attention. This study examined patterns of interactions within the family and the possible relationship of these patterns to the amount of sex education occurring in the home. 96 adolescents (ages 13-15, 43% male, 90% Caucasian) and the parents of 63 of them (61 mothers and 45 fathers) participated in the study. 79% of the adolescents were 13 years of age while the average ages for their mothers and fathers was 39.1 years and 41.1 years respectively. 82% of the adolescents has 2-4 siblings and 68% came from intact families. 94% of the families were middle class. Both adolescents and parents completed 3 questionnaires: (1) FACES-II, a measure which categorizes family interactions as Basnced, Midrange, or Extreme based on the 2 dimensions of cohesiveness and adaptability; (2) the Parent-Adolescent Communication Scale; and (3) the Home Discussion Questionnaire, a measure of the amount of discussion about 17 sex education topics. Adolescents who reported open communication and satisfaction with family interactions reported significantly more sex education in the home. Although mothers' reports of sex education were not related to their perceptions of family communication or interaction, fathers who reported the healthiest family interactions also reported the most involvement in the sex education of their adolescent.