Special Section to be published on School Outcomes and Success for Youth with Health-Related Conditions – Guest Editors: Michelle M. Perfect and Ida M. Moore
Deadline: June 1, 2018
An estimated 19 % of youth are diagnosed with chronic or life-limiting health conditions (Bethell et al., 2011). Treatment for the most prevalent of these conditions (e.g., diabetes, epilepsy, cancer, juvenile arthritis, and asthma) includes hospitalizations, home treatments, and frequent physician appointments-all of which are highly disruptive to children and families. Advances in treating these health conditions mean that children who would previously not have survived are able to recover from or manage their special healthcare needs (Compas, Jaser, Dunn, & Rodriguez, 2012). Nevertheless, many youth require extensive or repeated hospitalizations, leading to their falling behind in their studies and not performing at grade level (Perfect & Frye, 2015).
Despite the potential learning, psychological, and social difficulties faced by youth with chronic health conditions, school psychologists are in a unique position to both identify and work with such youth, and schools themselves provide an ideal forum for outcomes research and intervention programs.
This Special Topic Section of School Psychology Quarterly will be devoted to the publication of scientifically rigorous papers, which focus on innovative research that targets helping children cope with chronic illnesses or medical needs. The special section will be edited by Michelle M. Perfect and Ida M. Moore. We are particularly interested in receiving empirical studies on the nature and correlates associated with chronic health conditions, as well as novel school-based prevention and treatment approaches. Examples of appropriate manuscripts include (but are not limited to):
- The influence of risk and protective factors on academic, behavioral, or quality of life outcomes.
- Interventions to enhance academic, behavioral, or emotional outcomes among students with particular medical conditions
- Risk taking behaviors among students with chronic or life-limiting health conditions
- Longitudinal academic or social-emotional-behavioral outcomes following a diagnosis
- Unique methodological approaches with feasibility or empirical data to capture momentary or effectives of disease makers on academic or cognitive performance or daily social interactions
Manuscript length for the special section will be determined based on the quality and number of proposals, but is targeted to not exceed the journal standard of 6,000 words, inclusive of all tables, figures, and references. Submitted manuscripts will be given blind peer review, as per usual journal policy, prior to a final decision on publication.
Manuscripts should be submitted electronically to the SPQ submission portal at http://www.editorialmanager.com/spq. Please select “Special Section Article: Chronic Conditions” as the article type.
Please direct all inquiries to Michelle M. Perfect (mperfect@email.arizona.edu) or Ida M. Moore (imoore@email.arizona.edu)
Bethell, C. D., Kogan M. D., Strickland B. B., Schor E. L., Robertson J., & Newacheck P. W. (2011). A national and state profile of leading health problems and health care quality for US children: Key insurance disparities and across-state variations. Academic pediatrics, 11, Suppl, S22 – 33.
Compas, B. E., Jaser, S. S., Dunn, M. J., & Rodriguez, E. M. (2012). Coping with chronic illness in childhood and adolescence. Annual review of clinical psychology, 8, 455.
Perfect, M.M., & E., Frye, S. (2014). Resiliency in pediatric chronic illness: Assisting youth at school and home. In Prince-Embury, S. (Eds.), Resilient enhancement for youth in diverse populations. New York, NY: Springer.