Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 19, 2026
Measurement of Fronto-limbic Activity Using an Emotional Oddball Task in Children with Familial High Risk for Schizophrenia
Published on: December 2, 2015
Measuring behavioral and emotional changes in children following hospitalization: Limitations and future directions
Kristen Uhl1,2, Joseph P Cravero1
1Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.
Insights
Children experience psychological and behavioral changes after hospitalization. The current Posthospital Behavior Questionnaire (PHBQ) has limitations, necessitating an improved measure for better tracking of youth
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Psychology
- Child Psychiatry
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Children often exhibit psychological and behavioral shifts post-medical intervention or hospitalization.
- The Posthospital Behavior Questionnaire (PHBQ) was developed to evaluate these changes in youth.
- The PHBQ has been utilized for decades to study the prevalence, duration, and risk factors of these behavioral alterations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the limitations of the current Posthospital Behavior Questionnaire (PHBQ).
- To advocate for the development of an optimized assessment tool for post-hospitalization behavioral changes in children.
- To emphasize the need for a theoretically grounded, clinically relevant, and developmentally sensitive measure.
Main Methods:
- Literature review on existing measures for post-hospitalization behavioral changes in children.
- Analysis of the psychometric properties and limitations of the Posthospital Behavior Questionnaire (PHBQ).
- Conceptual framework for an improved assessment tool.
Main Results:
- The Posthospital Behavior Questionnaire (PHBQ) presents several limitations that may impact its effectiveness.
- Existing research using the PHBQ has provided insights into behavior changes and risk factors.
- There is a clear need for a more robust and sensitive measurement tool.
Conclusions:
- The current Posthospital Behavior Questionnaire (PHBQ) has limitations hindering its utility.
- An optimized measure is needed to accurately identify and monitor emotional and behavioral changes in youth post-hospitalization and surgery.
- Future research should focus on developing a theoretically grounded, clinically applicable, and developmentally sensitive instrument.
Abstract:
Psychological and behavioral changes have been observed and documented in children following medical interventions/hospitalizations. The Posthospital Behavior Questionnaire (PHBQ) was created to assess for such changes in youth. Over the past several decades, researchers have used this measure to examine rates and duration of behavior changes as well as relevant risk factors. However, certain limitations to the PHBQ exist that may interfere with its utility. This article advocates for creating an optimized measure with an underlying theoretical framework, clinical cutoffs, and developmental sensitivity in order to better identify and track significant emotional and behavioral changes in youth following hospitalization and surgery.
