Skip to main content
Log in

Children’s Psychosocial Problems Presenting in a Family Medicine Practice

  • Published:
Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Primary care physicians have an important role in identifying, treating, and referring children with psychosocial problems. However, there is a limited literature describing whether and how family physicians address psychosocial problems and why parents may not discuss children’s problems with physicians. The current study examined how family physicians address psychosocial problems and reasons that parents do not discuss children’s psychosocial problems with physicians. Results indicated that there are a variety of reasons involving parents, their perceptions of physicians, and the number of psychosocial problems reported, that may lead to fewer discussions of psychosocial problems.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • American Academy of Pediatrics. (1996). The classification of child and adolescent mental diagnoses in primary care: Diagnostic and statistical manual for primary care. Elk Grove Village, IL: American Academy of Pediatrics.

    Google Scholar 

  • American Academy of Pediatrics. (2001). The new morbidity revisited: A renewed commitment to the psychosocial aspects of pediatric care. Pediatrics, 108, 1227–1230.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Association of Family Medicine Residency Directors. (2008). Recommended curriculum guidelines for family medicine residents: Human behavior and mental health. Retrieved October 19, 2009, from http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/aboutus/specialty/rpsolutions/eduguide.html.

  • Bernal, P. (2003). Hidden morbidity in pediatric primary care. Pediatric Annals, 32, 413–418.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bower, P., Garralda, E., Kramer, T., Harrington, R., & Sibbald, B. (2001). The treatment of child and adolescent mental health problems in primary care: A systematic review. Family Practice, 18, 373–382.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bray, J. H., & Rogers, J. C. (1995). Linking psychologists and family physicians for collaborative practice. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 26, 132–138.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burklow, K. A., Vaughn, L. M., Valerius, K. S., & Schultz, J. R. (2001). Parental expectations regarding discussions on psychosocial topics during pediatric office visits. Clinical Pediatrics, 40, 555–562.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Costello, E. J. (1986). Primary care pediatrics and child psychopathology: A review of diagnostic, treatment, and referral practices. Pediatrics, 78, 1044–1051.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gardner, W., Kelleher, K. J., Wasserman, R., Childs, G., Nutting, P., Lillienfeld, H., et al. (2000). Primary care treatment of pediatric psychosocial problems: A study from pediatric research in office settings and ambulatory sentinel practice network. Pediatrics, 106, e44–e53.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Garrison, W. T., Bailey, E. N., Garb, J., Ecker, B., Spencer, P., & Sigelman, D. (1992). Interactions between parents and pediatric primary care physicians about children’s mental health. Hospital and Community Psychiatry, 43, 489–493.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hart, C. N., Kelleher, K. J., Drotar, D., & Scholle, S. H. (2007). Parent-provider communication and parental satisfaction with care of children with psychosocial problems. Patient Education and Counseling, 68, 179–185.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Heneghan, A., Garnger, A. S., Storfer-Isser, A., Kortepeter, K., Stein, R. E. K., & Horwitz, S. M. (2008). Pediatricians’ role in providing mental health care for children and adolescents: Do pediatricians and child and adolescent psychiatrists agree? Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 29, 262–269.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hickson, G. B., Altemeier, W. A., & O’Connor, S. (1983). Concerns of mothers seeking care in private pediatric offices: Opportunities for expanding services. Pediatrics, 72, 619–624.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Horwitz, S. M., Leaf, P. J., & Leventhal, J. M. (1998). Identification of psychosocial problems in pediatric primary care: Do family attitudes make a difference? Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 152, 367–371.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hsieh, F. Y. (1989). Sample size tables for logistic regression. Statistics in Medicine, 8, 795–802.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jellinek, M. S., Murphy, M., Little, M., Pagano, M. E., Comer, D. M., & Kelleher, K. J. (1999). Use of the Pediatric Symptom Checklist to screen for psychosocial problems in pediatric primary care: A national feasibility study. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 153, 254–260.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Joos, S. K., Hickam, D. H., & Borders, L. M. (1993). Patients’ desires and satisfaction in general medicine clinics. Public Health Report, 108, 751–759.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kanoy, K. W., & Schroeder, C. S. (1985). Suggestions to parents about common behavior problems in a pediatric primary care office: Five years of follow-up. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 10, 15–30.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kelleher, K. J., Campo, J. V., & Gardner, W. P. (2006). Management of pediatric mental disorders in primary care: Where are we now and where are we going? Current Opinion in Pediatrics, 18, 649–653.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kelleher, K. J., McInerny, T. K., Gardner, W. P., Childs, G. E., & Wasserman, R. C. (2000). Increasing identification of psychosocial problems: 1979–1996. Pediatrics, 105, 1313–1321.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kinnersley, P., Edwards, A., Hood, K., Ryan, R., Prout, H., Cadbury, N., et al. (2008). Interventions before consultations to help patients address their information needs by encouraging question asking: Systematic review. BMJ, 337, a485–a495.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McDaniel, S. H., Belar, C. D., Schroeder, C., Hargrove, D. S., & Freeman, E. L. (2002). A training curriculum for professional psychologists in primary care. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 33, 65–72.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meredith, L. S., Rubenstein, L. V., Rost, K., Ford, D. E., Gordon, N., Nutting, P., et al. (1999). Treating depression in staff-model versus network-model managed care organizations. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 14, 39–48.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Phillips, R. L., Bazemore, A. W., Dodoo, M. S., Shipman, S. A., & Green, L. A. (2006). Family physicians in the child health care workforce: Opportunities for collaborations in improving the health of children. Pediatrics, 118, 1200–1206.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Phillips, W. R., & Haynes, D. G. (2001). The domain of family practice: Scope, role and function. Family Medicine, 33, 273–277.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Riekert, K. A., Stancin, T., Palermo, T. M., & Drotar, D. (1999). A psychological behavioral screening service: Use, feasibility, and impact in a primary care setting. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 24, 405–414.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rodrigue, J. R., Hoffmann, R. G., Rayfield, A., Lescano, C., Kubar, W., Streisand, R., et al. (1995). Evaluating pediatric psychology consultation services in a medical setting: An example. Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings, 2, 89–107.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rushton, J., Bruckman, D., & Kelleher, K. (2002). Primary care referral of children with psychosocial problems. Archives of Pediatric and Adolescents Medicine, 156, 592–598.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schroeder, C. (2004). A collaborative practice in primary care: Lessons learned. In B. G. Wildman & T. Stancin (Eds.), Treating children’s psychosocial problems in primary care. Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stancin, T., Perrin, E. C., & Ramirez, L. Y. (2009). Pediatric psychology and primary care. In M. C. Roberts & R. G. Steele (Eds.), Handbook of pediatric psychology (4th ed., pp. 630–648). New York: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stewart, M. A. (1995). Effective physician–patient communication and health outcomes: A review. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 152, 1423–1433.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Waitzken, H. (1984). Doctor–patient communication: Clinical implications of social scientific research. JAMA, 252, 2441–2446.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wells, K. B., Kataoka, S. H., & Asarnow, J. R. (2001). Affective disorders in children and adolescents: Addressing unmet needs in primary care settings. Biological Psychiatry, 49, 1111–1120.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wildman, B. G., Kinsman, A. M., Logue, E., Dickey, D. J., & Smucker, W. D. (1997). Presentation and management of childhood psychosocial problems. Journal of Family Practice, 44, 77–84.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Williams, S., Wineman, J., & Dale, J. (1998). Doctor–patient communication and patient satisfaction: A review. Family Practice, 15, 480–492.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgement

The authors would like to thank Dr. Pascal DeBoeck for his assistance with the statistical analyses.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yelena P. Wu.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Wu, Y.P., Messner, B.M. & Roberts, M.C. Children’s Psychosocial Problems Presenting in a Family Medicine Practice. J Clin Psychol Med Settings 17, 203–210 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10880-010-9195-2

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10880-010-9195-2

Keywords

Navigation