Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) 3.2 Diabetes Module for youth with Type 2 diabetes: reliability and validity.

AIM: To test the measurement properties of the revised and updated Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) 3.2 Diabetes Module originally developed in Type 1 diabetes in youth with Type 2 diabetes. METHODS: The PedsQL 3.2 Diabetes Module and PedsQL Generic Core Scales were administered in a field test study to 100 young people aged 9-25 years with Type 2 diabetes. Factor analysis was conducted to determine the factor structure of the items. RESULTS: The 15-item Diabetes Symptoms Summary Score and 12-item Type 2-specific Diabetes Management Summary Score were empirically derived through factor analysis. The Diabetes Symptoms and Type 2-specific Diabetes Management Summary Scores showed acceptable to excellent reliability across the age groups tested (α = 0.85-0.94). The Diabetes Symptoms and Type 2-specific Diabetes Management Summary Scores evidenced construct validity through large effect size correlations with the Generic Core Scales Total Scale Score (r = 0.67 and 0.57, respectively). HbA1c was correlated with the Diabetes Symptoms and Type 2-specific Diabetes Management Summary Scores (r = -0.13 and -0.22). Minimal clinically important difference (MCID) scores were 5.91 and 7.39 for the Diabetes Symptoms and Type 2-specific Diabetes Management Summary Scores. CONCLUSIONS: The PedsQL 3.2 Diabetes Module Diabetes Symptoms Summary Score and Type 2-specific Diabetes Management Summary Score exhibited satisfactory measurement properties for use as youth self-reported diabetes symptoms and diabetes management outcomes for clinical research and clinical practice for young people with Type 2 diabetes.

The effects of oral versus written instructions on parents' recall and satisfaction after pediatric appointments.

This study explored the differential effects of written versus oral instructions on parents' recall of information and satisfaction after pediatric appointments. Ninety-six parents completed descriptive information and satisfaction ratings, and four pediatricians completed ratings concerning the complexity level of the appointment. After the appointment, parents were randomly assigned to the Written condition (to receive a transcription of the pediatrician's instructions) or Oral condition (verbal instruction only). Parents were telephoned 5 to 7 days later to report their recall of instructions and satisfaction with the appointment. For the Oral condition parents only, more previous appointments with a given pediatrician were associated with greater parental satisfaction and recall of instructions, and more previous appointments and more time spent with the pediatrician were related to fewer forgotten instructions. Parental characteristics, such as age, number of children, and occupational status, were associated with satisfaction and accurate recall. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Self-concept and social competence of university student victims of childhood physical abuse.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the impact of childhood physical abuse on self-concept and social competency of older adolescents and assessed perception of parental relationships as a mediator for consequences of abuse on social adjustment. METHOD: College undergraduates (n = 660) completed: (a) the Social Skills Inventory (SSI), a measure of social competence, (b) the Self-Description Questionnaire-III (SDQ-III), a multidimensional measure of self-concept, (c) the parent scales of the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (IPPA), a measure of perceived parental support, and (d) the Assessing Environments-III (AE-III), a retrospective report of family environment and parenting practices. RESULTS: Analyses, controlling for socioeconomic status and ethnicity, showed that a history of physical abuse was predictive of current self-concept, but did not predict social competence as an older adolescent. Further analyses lend support to a mediational model, suggesting that physical abuse has a negative impact on self-concept through its negative effect on parent-child relationships. CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that childhood physical abuse has a negative impact on the self-concept of the older adolescent. However, this impact can be better understood by investigating its potentially harmful effect on parent-child relationships. The impact of physical abuse on adolescents' social competence was not supported in this study.

Nonorganic failure to thrive: developmental outcomes and psychosocial assessment and intervention issues.

Serious growth problems, such as Nonorganic Failure to Thrive (NFTT), place an infant/toddler at significant risk for poor developmental outcomes. Evidently, an NFTT child's malnutrition and subsequent poor growth and development are accentuated by a family context of impoverishment, dysfunctional relationships, inadequate education, and a dearth of developmentally enriching experiences. The purpose of this review is to describe NFTT, to present development outcomes, and to discuss psychosocial assessment and intervention issues relevant to this developmental disability of early childhood. An ideographic approach to case conceptualization, evaluation, and treatment is suggested to achieve successful developmental outcomes and to guide research endeavors.

Effects of posttraumatic stress and acculturation on marital functioning in Bosnian refugee couples.

Forty Bosnian refugee couples living in the United States completed a translated version of the PTSD Symptom Scale--Self Report, the Behavioral Acculturation Scale, the Marital Satisfaction Inventory--Revised, and a demographic questionnaire. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomatology was the best predictor of marital functioning and was related negatively to acculturation. After controlling for PTSD, acculturation did not predict marital functioning. Wives' marital satisfaction was best predicted by husbands' PTSD, husbands' acculturation, and their own PTSD. Husbands' marital satisfaction was not predicted significantly by any of these variables. These findings suggest several implications for mental health professionals dealing with refugees and other traumatized populations.