Physicians

Departments / Divisions

• Psychiatry / Medical Psychology
• Pediatrics / Pediatrics-Neonatology

Address
DUMC 2739
2424 Erwin Road, Suite 504
Durham, NC 27710

Appointment Telephone
919-684-8148

Office Telephone
919-684-8148

Fax Telephone
919-681-4836

Training

• 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.

Industry Relationships and Collaborations (What's this?)

This physician has no reported relationships with industry.

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)

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)

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)

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)