• Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences / Medical Psychology
• Pediatrics / Duke Child and Family Studies

Address:
DUMC 3527
Durham, NC 27710

Appointment Telephone:
919-416-2441

Office Telephone:
919-416-2441

Fax Telephone:
919-416-9789

• PhD, Clinical Psychology, Ohio University, 1988
• Clinical Psychology, Medical University of South Carolina, 1987-1988
• Pediatric Psychology, Duke University Medical Center, 1988-1989

Clinical Interests:
Clinical child and pediatric psychology; learning disabilities; attentional disorders; developmental problems; psychological assessment of infants, children, adolescents and young adults with medical, learning, attentional and behavioral problems; illness coping; parenting

Research Interests:
My research efforts have focused on psychological adjustment in children, adolescents, adults and families who are confronting the challenges of chronic illnesses such as cystic fibrosis, sickle cell disease, and very low birth weight. In collaboration with Dr. Robert Thompson, our research utilizes a transactional model of stress and coping with chronic illness and developmental problems, and examines relevant illness and demographic variables, and psychosocial mediational processes. We have focused on the analyses of change in psychological adjustment and hypothesized mediational processes and inter-relationship over time. In 1996-97 we have also continued our longitudinal study of the developmental outcome of infants with sickle cell disease and of the psychosocial outcome of the infants and their mothers. We are also collaborating with the Pediatric Neuro-Oncology team in examining the inter-relationship of biomedical and psychosocial outcome. Future plans are to continue the longitudinal analyses, to expand the model to include other psychosocial mediational processes, and to examine other illness populations.

Representative Publications:
Thompson, R.J., Jr., and Gustafson, K.E. (1996). Adaptation to Chronic Childhood Illness. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association Press. (1996)

Thompson, R. J., Jr., Gustafson, K.E., Gil, K.M. (1995). Psychological adjustment of adolescents with cystic fibrosis or sickle cell disease and their mothers. In J. Wallander and L. Siegel (Eds.) Advances in pediatric psychology: II. Behavioral perspectives on adolescent health, (pp. 232-247). New York: Gilford Press. (1995)

Thompson, R.J., Jr., Goldstein, J.M., Oehler, J.M., Gustafson, K.E., Catlett A.T., Brazy, J.E. (1994). Developmental Outcome of Very Low Birth Weight Infants: Biomedical Risk and Psychosocial Risk. Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 15, 232-238. (1994)

Thompson, R.J. Jr., Gustafson, K.E., George, L.K., and Spock, A (1994). Change over a 12-month period in the psychological adjustment of children and adolescents with cystic fibrosis. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 19(2), 189-203. (1994)

Gustafson, K.E., McNamara, J.R., Jensen, J.A. (1994). Parent's informed consent decisions regarding psychotherapy for their children: Consideration of therapeutic risks and benefits. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 25,(1), 16-22. (1994)