Psychosocial Family Interventions in Chronic Pediatric Illness

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xi

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2. Introduction

   1. The Challenge of Pediatric Medical Illness to Family Theory and Family Therapy

      • Adolph E. Christ

      Pages 1-4

   2. The Family and Medical Illness

      • Kalman Flomenhaft

      Pages 5-12

3. Section I

   1. Family Treatment of Chronic Illness in a Child: Mutual Developmental Problems

      • Irving N. Berlin

      Pages 13-28

   2. Family Treatment is Here to Stay: Discussion of Dr. Berlin’s Paper

      • Åke Mattsson

      Pages 29-31

   3. When do Families Develop Insight? General Discussion

      • Adolph E. Christ, Kalman Flomenhaft

      Pages 33-35

4. Section II

   1. Early Interventions for Families with Chronically Ill Children

      • David M. Kaplan

      Pages 37-48

   2. Struggling for Survival: Discussion of Dr. Kaplan’s Paper

      • H. Paul Gabriel

      Pages 49-50

   3. Treatment of the Family’s Denial of a Dying Child: General Discussion

      • Adolph E. Christ, Kalman Flomenhaft

      Pages 51-54

5. Section III

   1. Death and Chronic Incapacity: Long Term Follow-Up on Adaptive Stresses in a Family

      • Adolph E. Christ

      Pages 55-76

   2. Ghosts in the Family: Discussion of Dr. Christ’s Paper

      • Peter Dunn

      Pages 77-79

   3. Mourning and Parentectomy: General Discussion

      • Adolph E. Christ, Kalman Flomenhaft

      Pages 81-83

6. Section IV

   1. “Dis-Synchrony” of Coping among Children with Cancer, their Families, and the Treating Staff

      • Grace Christ

      Pages 85-96

   2. “The Lord Brought Me Thru”: Discussion of Mrs. Christ’s Paper

      • Kushalata R. Jayakar

      Pages 97-100

   3. Timely Reaching Out to Families: General Discussion

      • Adolph E. Christ, Kalman Flomenhaft

      Pages 101-102

7. Section V

   1. Open-Heart Surgery for Congenital Heart Disease: Minimizing Adverse Psychological Sequelae in Families Facing Major High-Risk Surgery

      • H. Paul Gabriel, Delores A. Danilowicz

      Pages 103-113

   2. Helping the Child and Family with Surgery: Discussion of Dr. Gabriel’s and Dr. Danilowicz’s Paper

      • Irving N. Berlin

      Pages 115-117

   3. Are too Many “Laying on Hands”?: General Discussion

      • Adolph E. Christ, Kalman Flomenhaft

      Pages 119-123

8. Section VI

   1. Family Systems Theory and Chronic Childhood Illness: Diabetes Mellitus

      • John Sargent

      Pages 125-138

   2. A Useful Guide to Families with Juvenile Diabetes: Discussion of Dr. Sargent’s Paper

      • David M. Kaplan

      Pages 139-140

The symposium "Family Dynamics, Family Therapy, and Pediatric Medical Illness," held at Downstate Medical Center on December 12 and 13, 1980, considered the impact of life-threatening illness in children and adolescents on intrafamilial dynamics. A group of experts addressed the practical and theoretical psychological and social issues facing pediatric patients and their families when con­ fronting chronic and severe childhood illnesses including brain damage, cancer, hemophilia, juvenile diabetes, and heart disease. The presentations and group discussions clearly revealed the complexity of physical and psychological problems posed by the seriously ill child with chronic disease for both the health care provider and the family. The conference proceedings confirm that quality care and treatment for the ill child requires the partici­ pation of a variety of health care disciplines representing diverse fields of knowledge. Pediatricians, family practitioners, child psychiatrists, nurses, social workers, psychologists, nutritionists and others all have important collaborative roles to play. The symposium participants wrestled with some of the basic developmental and clinical questions: How is the ongoing development of a family altered as a result of chronic incapacitating illness in a child member? How can principles of intensive family and individ­ ual psychotherapy be applied during the medical treatment of life­ threatening illness? What are the psychological stress points during the course of a chronic medical illness? These are but a few of the issues addressed in this publication.

• brain
• diabetes
• intervention
• psychotherapy
• stress
• therapy

• Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Downstate Medical Center Kings Country Hospital Center, Brooklyn, USA

  Adolph E. Christ, Kalman Flomenhaft

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