My primary interest involves the implications for learning, development, and behavior of the growth of psychotropic drug use for school-age youth. More specifically I am concerned about the potential deleterious impact on children and adolescents of (a) the serious adverse events that have been the subject of almost 20 U.S. Food and Drug Administration Safety Alerts since 1997, and (b) the less serious but far more common side effects that accompany psychotropic drug use in the pediatric population. I also have interest in the policies and processes (e.g., risk-benefit analyses) that encourage the prescription of psychotropic drugs as first-line treatments in the pediatric population, even when psychosocial interventions have demonstrated and comparable efficacy and superior safety.

Bronfenbrenner's bioecological model (1994, 2005).

Bronfenbrenner, U. & Ceci, S., J. (1994). Nature-nurture reconceptualized in developmental perspective: A bioecological model. Psychological Review, 104, 568-586. Bronfenbrenner, U. (2005). Making Human Beings Human: Biological Perspectives on Human Development.

FDA adverse event and side effect data are published on the FDA website but the site can be challenging to navigate to find relevant data. We have located all data for clinical trials that include or are exclusive to the pediatric population and identified side effects that are most common to drug categories (i.e., ADHD drugs, antidepressants, antipsychotics). These data were analyzed and have revealed both substantial differences in side effects for drugs within each class and discrepancies with side effects reported in clinical practice and published textbooks.

Because raw clinical trial data is proprietary to pharmaceutical manufacturers we have not been able to analyze those data. Instead we have employed methods used in epidemiology research (e.g., odds and risk ratios, Cochran Mantel-Haenszel techniques) to analyze for statistical significance of the differences we observed in the FDA data sets.

Adverse event and side effect data: www.fda.gov/Drugs/default.htm Statistical analysis: Borenstein, Hedges, Higgins, & Rothstein, 2009; Higgins & Green, 2009 Holcomb, Chaiworapongsa, Luke & Burgdorf, 2001 Knoll, Duijnhoven, Grobbee, Moons, & Groenwold, 2011 Woodward, 2004

Kubiszyn, T., Mire, S., Dutt, S. Papathopoulos, K. & Burridge, A. (2012). Significant differences in pediatric psychotropic sides effects: Implications for school behavior and performance. School Psychology Quarterly, 27, 4-28. Kubiszyn, T. (2011). Pediatric Psychopharmacology. In Bray, M. & Kehle, T. (Eds.). Oxford Handbook of School Psychology (pp. 696-727). Oxford University Press: New York. Kubiszyn, T. (2005). The Division 16 Task Force on Psychopharmacology, Learning and Behavior: An overview. School Psychology Quarterly, 20, 115-117. Kubiszyn, T., Carlson, J. C., & DeHay, T. (2005). Pediatric psychopharmacology for prepubertal internalizing disorders. School Psychology Quarterly, 20, 135-154. McClure, E. B., Kubiszyn, T., & Kaslow, N. J. (2002). Advances in the diagnosis and treatment of childhood mood disorders. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 33, 125-134.

Assessment

Professional Issues

Social-emotional interventions

Psychopharmacology

Professional Issues in School Psychology

Intervention, Social-emotional

Health Promotion