Editorial

Abstract

It is again my pleasure to work with an outstanding group of contributors in the production of this, the 10th Annual Research Review. As always our goal is to solicit reviews from authorities in the field, which will serve to update the readership on aspects of current research and emerging research trends. Authors are encouraged to be selective, rather than comprehensive, in coverage and to focus on the aspects of research they feel are most important. In addition to thanking the authors, I am also grateful to the various referees who provided thoughtful and detailed commentary to the authors, which has enriched the papers further. As noted in last year's editorial, we are now beginning to return to topics covered in previous reviews.

It is a particular pleasure to have Professor Rutter and colleagues provide an update of his earlier (1990) review of genetics and child psychiatry. The first of their two papers provides a summary of advances in quantitative psychiatric genetics with particular attention to both conceptual and methodological advances. Important shifts in research strategies are noted. In the second paper Rutter and colleagues focus more specifically on advances relative to specific disorders. It is clear that work in this area is likely to advance our knowledge substantially in the years ahead in ways that we can now only begin to appreciate. Angold, Costello, and Erkanli have provided a very helpful review of the topic of comorbidity in the psychiatric disorders of childhood adolescence. This is an area of some controversy and their review provides a valuable summary of current knowledge. Stevenson addresses issues in the treatment of the long-term sequelae of child abuse; he notes that while considerable progress has been made, important questions regarding treatment and prevention remain to be answered. Filipek reviews the current state of knowledge on neuroimaging in the developmental disorders. Advances in the field have given us the opportunity to understand fundamental aspects of brain-behavior relationships. Finally, Hetherington and Stanley-Hagan review current knowledge regarding the effects of divorce on children; this topic is an increasingly important one in terms of both research and intervention.

For the 11th edition of the Annual Research Review we anticipate that topics covered will include language acquisition, substance abuse, intersubjectivity, child abuse, effects of HIV infection on children, and advances in psychological assessment methods.