Managing Research in Pediatric and Child Clinical Psychology

Abstract

In marked contrast to the image of the lone investigator conducting research in his or her laboratory, many researchers who work with pediatric and clinical child populations gather data in clinical settings and conduct research projects that involve complex data sets. Moreover, in some instances, research that advances scientific knowledge in pediatric and clinical child psychology necessitates the development of projects that involve research-related collaborations across multiple settings. To illustrate this point, consider some recent examples of studies that were published in the Journal of Clinical Child Psychology and the Journal of Pediatric Psychology. One of these reported the lessons learned from a pilot study of family-based alternatives to institution-based mental health services for youth, which involved a multiagency, collaborative effort (Henggeler et al., 1997). Another study described the results of a 4-year follow-up of the impact of home intervention on the cognitive, motor development, and behavior in play of 4-year-old children with early histories of failure to thrive (Hutcheson et al., 1997). The teams of investigators who conducted the projects assumed extraordinary organizational and management responsibilities to complete their research. Such responsibilities included (among others) securing and managing funds that were needed to conduct the research; hiring, supervising, and managing research staff; and developing collaborative relationships with investigators and professional staff in different settings.