WENDY REICH,
PH.D.
Research Professor of Psychiatry
Research Interests
1) Children at risk (risk and protective factors)
2) Methodologies for ascertaining information from and about children.
Specific Research Activities
Most of my work has focused on children of alcoholic, antisocial and drug
abusing parents, and I am currently analyzing and writing up the data. Other
interests include PTSD in children, and children at risk for bipolar disorder.
Methodologies
As part of my work on the Child Assessment Unit, I have continued the development
of the DICA and a Home Environment Interview for the Child. In conjunction
with the computer firm Multi-Health Systems in Toronto, I have developed
a computerized version of the DICA. Reliability and validity tests on this
instrument have been conducted. In conjunction with child psychiatrist in
the COGA project I have written child, adolescent and parent interviews
designed especially for that study. These are C-SSAGA-A and C-SSAGA-P. I
have also completed two psychosocial interviews, SARAH I and SARAH II which
ask about the effects of parental alcoholism (SARAH I) and bipolar and unipolar
depression (SARAH II) in children.
Key References
Reich W, Earls R, Powell J: A comparison of the home and social environments
of children of alcoholic and nonalcoholic parents. Br J Addictions 1988;
83:813-839.
Reich W, Earls F: Interviewing children by telephone: Preliminary results.
Comprehensive Psychiatry 1990; Vol.31(3).
Reich W, Earls F, Frankel O, Shayka J: Psychopathology in children of alcoholics.
J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 1993; 32:5.
Reich W, Kaplan L: The effects of psychiatric and psychosocial interviews
on children. Comprehensive Psychiatry 1994; 35:1.
Wendy Reich, Ph.D. is research assistant professor of anthropology in child
psychiatry. She specializes in instrument development for the assessment
of children and adolescents, and the study of children of alcoholic parents.
Dr. Reich also works with the family genetic teams in the department of
psychiatry who include children and adolescents in their work. She received
her Ph.D. from Washington University.