Historical Analysis: The Journal of Pediatric Psychology From 1976 to 2015.

Objective: To provide a historical analysis through the examination of trends in type of articles, content areas, and population groups across all issues of the Journal of Pediatric Psychology (JPP).

Method: All articles published in JPP between the years 1976-2015 were coded based on article type (e.g., original research, meta-analysis), content code (e.g., adherence, primary care), and population code (e.g., oncology, chronic and recurrent pain). Descriptive statistics were calculated.

Results: The overall top article types, content codes, and population codes are described as well as top codes for each decade. Overall, the majority of articles were classified as original research. Although some population and content codes varied over time, there were some areas that were consistently present throughout issues, including family systems, cognitive/intellectual functioning, pediatric oncology, and type 1 diabetes. Many topics selected for special issues and topics were consistent with top population and content codes.

Conclusions: Findings indicate that most top areas have consistently been present in JPP over the 39-year period. The current historical analysis highlights these patterns as well as serves as a historical record for JPP.