The COVID-19 pandemic is a public health crisis that continues to impact individuals worldwide. While children may be less susceptible to severe medical complications, they are nonetheless vulnerable to stress and anxiety associated with the pandemic. However, current understanding of psychological functioning and potential strategies to mitigate distress amid a pandemic is naturally limited. Consequently, this article is an attempt to fill that gap. Existing literature on pandemics, health-related anxieties, intolerance of uncertainty, and psychopathological sequelae is summarized within the context of the COVID-19 outbreak. Conclusions from the empirical data and emerging theoretical models are reviewed and synthesized. Finally, several potentially engaging and effective examples of developmentally appropriate interventions targeting intolerance of uncertainty and health-related anxieties in pediatric patients during the peri-and post-pandemic periods are described.
This study examined the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and psychological functioning of children and young adults with Gaucher disease, type 1 (GD1). Thirty-two (17 pediatric, 15 young adult) patients with GD1 and one parent completed ageappropriate assessments of HRQoL, emotional, and behavioral health. The HRQoL of children with GD1 was compared with a healthy sample and to children diagnosed with Fabry disease (FD; another lysosomal storage disease), while young adults were compared to a healthy sample and to patients with self-reported chronic illnesses. Children with GD1 reported significantly lower HRQoL across all domains relative to healthy counterparts yet comparable HRQoL compared to children with FD. Young adults reported mildly lower physical functioning than healthy peers, but no differences in HRQoL relative to the chronic illness sample. Parent-reported symptom severity was associated with poorer HRQOL in children but not young adults. Few group differences in psychological functioning were observed, except young children showed more school problems than the normative average and there was a trend toward internalizing symptoms. Overall, results consistently identified younger patients with GD1 as more affected than older patients in HRQoL and psychological domains. Implementation of psychosocial interventions may be particularly beneficial during early childhood.
K E Y W O R D SGaucher disease, health-related quality of life, inborn error of metabolism, pediatric, psychological functioning
In clinical child psychology, co-morbidity is the norm rather than exception. Single disorder manuals are limited in their scope and applicability to patients with several presenting problems. Emotion dysregulation and perfectionism are two salient pathways to various internalizing and externalizing mental health disorders in youth. In order to treat these children efficiently and effectively, psychotherapists must be equipped with an approach that is able to target these common corridors to psychopathology. Transdiagnostic modular cognitive behavioral procedures are matched to the individual patients' contexts. The article begins with a brief discussion of emotional regulation, perfectionism, and transdiagnostic modular cognitive behavior therapy. Three confabulated clinical case examples are presented to illustrate the case conceptualization process and the application of modular CBT.
Introduction:The disproportionate time required to effectively manage psychosocial concerns is a key barrier to advancing delivery of behavioral care by primary care providers. Improved time efficiency is one potential benefit of the integration of behavioral health consultants (BHCs) into pediatric care, but few studies have systematically studied this outcome. We examined the impact of embedded BHCs on duration of medical encounters in a pediatric primary care clinic. Method: We conducted a retrospective matched-pairs analysis of encounters involving behavioral consultations versus encounters for similar patients that did not include a consultation (N ϭ 114) using electronic health record timestamp data. We examined both medical duration (i.e., medical provider services) and total duration (i.e., medical services ϩ behavioral consultation). Results: Patient encounters involving behavioral consultation had a significantly longer (ϩ11.23 min) total duration than matched controls, but significantly shorter (Ϫ11.67 min) medical duration. Discussion: The results indicate BHCs may improve primary care provider efficiency for patients with behavioral concerns, a notable finding given the impact of clinical time-constraints on important health care outcomes.
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