Childhood Through the Eyes of Child Psychiatrists and Paediatricians
Abstract
Attitudes to childhood in general and towards one's own childhood in particular are compared in a survey of 152 Australian and New Zealand child psychiatric and paediatric trainees. Results confirm the findings of Enzer et al (1) that paediatricians view childhood more positively than do child psychiatrists. Although there is a significant difference between the two groups on measures of their perceptions of the parenting they received with child psychiatrists rating their own parents as less caring than do paediatricians, there is no relationship between attitudes to childhood and perceptions of the parenting they received. Implications of these findings are examined, both in terms of motivation for choosing one or other speciality and for the working relationship between the two professions.