Anticipatory Guidance for the Adolescent: Parents' Concerns

Parents' opinions regarding anticipatory guidance for adolescents have not been adequately investigated. In this study, 932 parents of adolescents completed a computerized questionnaire listing 30 common psychosocial-medical concerns of adolescence. Respondents were asked how important it is for private pediatricians to discuss these topics with their teenagers during regular checkups. Ten items were rated important by ≥ 90% of parents, 22 items by ≥ 80%, and 29 items by ≥ 66%. Heeding parents' expectations and concerns, pediatricians should incorporate discussions of psychosocial-medical issues as a meaningful component of routine adolescent health care.