Children in Therapy as a Signal for Help for Parents.

摘要

Appearance of this material in the professional literature is in support of the Chief of Naval Material's program for Military-Civilian Technology Transfer and Cooperative Development. Military families experience stresses which result in a child being identified as a problem and taken to the doctor. Navy psychlatrists and the service families would benefit from guildelines to effective intervention. This study defined some of those guidelines. A sample of 114 children in 18 outpatient psychiatric clinics were studied over a one year period. Demographic data on the parents and the child, a behavioral complaint check list, and psychiatric decisions were collected in each case. The characteristics of the case which might lead to diagnosis and treatment strategies were examined. A number of characteristics of the case were related to treatment decisions: (1) very young children were usually not diagnosed as needing help, (2) young, educated mothers were more likely to bring a child to a clinic without the need for treatment for the child, (3) having the father return after a long absence often resulted in a child being brought for treatment, and (4) generally, children who are taken to a psychiatric clinic and who are diagnosed are signals that parental or conjugal problems are present. If parents are treated, treatment is completed. If the child is treated, treatment is likely to be terminated prematurely by the parents. (Author)