Psychotherapy Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Psychotherapy, including details on psychiatry, psychoanalysis, methods, outcomes.

Are fathers involved in pediatric psychology research and treatment?

Phares V, Lopez E, Fields S, Kamboukos D, Duhig AM

Department of Psychology, University of South Florida, 4202 E. Fowler Avenue, PCD 4118G, Tampa, FL 33620, USA. phares@luna.cas.usf.edu

BACKGROUND: Recently, there has been a growing awareness of the importance of the roles of fathers in understanding normative developmental processes. Increased attention has been given to the roles of fathers in the area of clinical child research and therapy. However, the presence of fathers in research and treatment in pediatric psychology has not been fully examined. OBJECTIVE: To explore the status of including fathers in both research and treatment in the area of pediatric psychology. METHOD: An extensive review of published research. RESULTS: The findings suggest that pediatric psychology research lags even farther behind clinical child research in including fathers in research designs and analyzing for maternal and paternal effects separately. There is also a concomitant lack of inclusion of fathers in family-based interventions in pediatric psychology. CONCLUSION: These patterns are discussed, with an emphasis on strategies to increase the inclusion of fathers in research and treatment of pediatric psychology issues. Future directions for researchers and clinicians are also included.

Published 1 November 2005 in J Pediatr Psychol, 30(8): 631-43.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

© 2005-2008 Psychotherapy Research Today. All Rights Reserved.