OBJECTIVE: To provide person and system-level recommendations for supporting early career women in the field of pediatric psychology in writing and submitting National Institutes of Health (NIH) Career Development Award (K award) applications. Recommendations are provided in the context of common barriers, with a focus on practical solutions.

METHODS: Publicly available NIH reporter data were compiled to examine rates of funding for Society of Pediatric Psychology (SPP) members. Barriers that women face when initiating programs of research are described and applied to the field of pediatric psychology.

RESULTS: Of current SPP members, 3.9% (n = 50) have ever received an NIH K award. Approximately 88.5% of SPP members identify as women, including 89.0% of SPP K award recipients. A table of person- and systems-level recommendations is provided to offer strategies for mentees, mentors/sponsors, institutions, and national organizations to address the barriers discussed.

CONCLUSIONS: By addressing gender-specific barriers to submitting K award applications, we hope to increase the number of women K awardees and support the scientific advancement of pediatric psychology.

<p>Given the broad focus of pediatric palliative care (PPC) on the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of children with potentially life-limiting illnesses and their families, PPC research requires creative methodological approaches. This manuscript, written by experienced PPC researchers, describes issues encountered in our own areas of research and the novel methods we have identified to target them. Specifically, we discuss potential approaches to: assessing symptoms among nonverbal children, evaluating medical interventions, identifying and treating problems related to polypharmacy, addressing missing data in longitudinal studies, evaluating longer-term efficacy of PPC interventions, and monitoring for inequities in PPC service delivery.</p>

<p><strong>IMPORTANCE: </strong>Parent psychological distress can impact the well-being of childhood cancer patients and other children in the home. Recognizing and alleviating factors of parent distress may improve overall family survivorship experiences following childhood cancer.</p>

<p><strong>OBJECTIVES: </strong>To describe the prevalence and factors of psychological distress (PD) among parents of children with advanced cancer.</p>

<p><strong>DESIGN: </strong>Cohort study embedded within a randomized clinical trial (Pediatric Quality of Life and Evaluation of Symptoms Technology [PediQUEST] study).</p>

<p><strong>SETTING: </strong>Multicenter study conducted at 3 children's hospitals (Boston Children's Hospital, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and Seattle Children's Hospital).</p>

<p><strong>PARTICIPANTS: </strong>Parents of children with advanced (progressive, recurrent, or refractory) cancer.</p>

<p><strong>MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: </strong>Parental PD, as measured by the Kessler-6 Psychological Distress Scale.</p>

<p><strong>RESULTS: </strong>Eighty-six of 104 parents completed the Survey About Caring for Children With Cancer (83% participation); 81 parents had complete Kessler-6 Psychological Distress Scale data. More than 50% of parents reported high PD and 16% met criteria for serious PD (compared with US prevalence of 2%-3%). Parent perceptions of prognosis, goals of therapy, child symptoms/suffering, and financial hardship were associated with PD. In multivariate analyses, average parent Kessler-6 Psychological Distress Scale scores were higher among parents who believed their child was suffering highly and who reported great economic hardship. Conversely, PD was significantly lower among parents whose prognostic understanding was aligned with concrete goals of care.</p>

<p><strong>CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: </strong>Parenting a child with advanced cancer is strongly associated with high to severe levels of PD. Interventions aimed at aligning prognostic understanding with concrete care goals and easing child suffering and financial hardship may mitigate parental PD.</p>