Psychosocial Health Issues in Pediatric Practices: Parents' Knowledge and Concerns

Abstract

Parents' general knowledge of child development and the demographic factors associated with that knowledge were studied. A questionnaire was completed by 230 parents of patients from three quite different pediatric practices in the south-central United States. χ² analysis was used as the major statistical technique. Results indicated that age, educational level, and income were associated with level of child development knowledge. Parents reported the sources and educational techniques that were most helpful to them in the past and present. The majority (81%) of the questions that parents wished to direct to pediatricians, given sufficient time, were concerned with psychosocial issues. It appears that the pediatric practice is a logical means of providing information to parents about their children's health concerns, both behavioral and physical. These results emphasize the importance of training pediatricians in behavioral issues and in improving their communication skills. The results are presented to help pediatricians select the anticipatory guidance and educational techniques that might be provided to parents through the pediatric practice.