Alexandra L. Quittner, Ph.D.
Alexandra L. Quittner
Professor
University of Western Ontario, 1987
Child and family adaptation to childhood chronic illness, including adherence to medical regimens and family interventions to promote disease management. Development of measures of health-related quality of life, adherence, and family functioning. Effects of childhood deafness on visual attention and outcomes of cochlear implants on children's cognitive, behavioral, and social development.
Research Interests
My program of research has focused on three major areas:
- the impact of chronic childhood illness on children and families, including effects on psychological, behavioral and cognitive functioning,
- the development of health outcome measures that are contextually and developmentally focused, and
- the development and evaluation of family-based interventions to promote adherence to complex medical regimens.
We are currently conducting two NIH-funded clinical trials. One is a translational study evaluating a family-based intervention to improve adherence to medical regimens for young children with cystic fibrosis (CF). The other study is a developmental evaluation of cochlear implants for deaf infants and toddlers. We are focusing on changes in cognitive, behavioral and emotional functioning pre to post-implantation and then following these outcomes over three years. Please visit the Childhood Development after Cochlear Implantation Study website to read more about this study.
Selected Publications
Adaptation to chronic stress and illness
Quittner, A.L., Glueckauf, R.L. & Jackson, D.N. (1990). Chronic parenting stress: Moderating vs. mediating effects of social support. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 59, 1266‑1278.
DeLambo, K., Ievers-Landis, C., Drotar, D., & Quittner, A.L. (in press). The association of observed family relationship quality and problem-solving skills to treatment adherence in adolescents with cystic fibrosis. Journal of Pediatric Psychology.
Developmental Impact of childhood deafness
Quittner, A.L., Smith, L.B., Osberger, M.J., Mitchell, T., & Katz, D. (1994). The impact of audition on the development of visual attention. Psychological Science, 5, 347-353.
Mitchell, T.V. & Quittner, A.L. (1996). A multimethod study of attention and behavior problems in hearing-impaired children. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 25, 83-96.
Smith, L.B., Quittner, A.L., Osberger, M.J., & Miyamoto, R. (1998). Audition and visual attention: The developmental trajectory in deaf and hearing populations. Developmental Psychology, 34, 840-850.
Family interventions for children and adolescents with chronic illnesses
Quittner, A.L., Drotar, D., Ievers-Landis, C., Seidner, D., Slocum, N., Jacobsen, J. (2000). Adherence to medical treatments in adolescents with cystic fibrosis: The development and evaluation of family-based interventions. In D. Drotar (Ed.) (pp.383-407), Promoting adherence to medical treatment in childhood chronic illness: Concepts, Methods, and Interventions. Mahwah N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Stark, L.J., Opipari, L.C., Spieth, L.E., Jelalian, E., Quittner, A.L., Higgins, L., Mackner, L., Byars, K., Lapey, A., Stallings, V.A., & Duggan, C. (2003). Contribution of behavior therapy to dietary treatment in cystic fibrosis: A randomized controlled study with two-year follow-up. Behavior Therapy, 43 237-258.
Development of contextual measures
Quittner, A.L. & Opipari, L.C. (1994). Differential treatment of siblings: Interview and diary analyses comparing two family contexts. Child Development, 65, 800-814.
Quittner, A.L., Espelage, D.L., Ievers-Landis, C., & Drotar, D. (2000). Measuring adherence to medical treatments in childhood chronic illness: Considering multiple methods and sources of information. Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings, 7, 41-54.
Quittner, A.L., Davis, M. A., & Modi, A.C. (2003). Health-related quality of life in pediatric populations. In M.Roberts (Ed.) (pp. 696-709), Handbook of Pediatric Psychology. New York: Guilford Publications.
Modi, A. C. & Quittner, A.L. (2003). Validation of a disease-specific measure of health-related quality of life for children with cystic fibrosis. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 28, 535-546.