Interventions For Prevention Of Type Research Articles

The Children of Divorce Intervention Program: Development, implementation, and evaluation of a program for young urban children.

The purpose of this study was to develop, implement, and evaluate the effectiveness of a preventive intervention for 2nd and 3rd grade urban children of divorce. The program's main goal was to prevent and/or mitigate the behavioral and emotional problems that children often experience following parental divorce. The program emphasized support elements, identification and expression of divorce-related feelings, clarification of divorce-related concepts and misconceptions, development of relevant coping skills, and positive self and family perceptions. Fifty-two children participated in the 16-session intervention in eight urban schools. Groups met once a week for 45-minute sessions during the school day. Trained co-leaders, at least one of whom was a school-based mental health professional, led groups of approximately six children each. The structured program curriculum had four primary units: (a) Feelings, families, and family changes; (b) Coping skills: Learning how to handle problems and feelings; (c) Child-parent relationships; and (d) Children's perceptions of themselves and their families. The 52 program children were compared to 52 divorce controls and 81 comparison subjects from two-parent families on child, parent, and teacher measures. Pre differences among groups on adjustment variables were assessed using 3 (Condition) x 2 (Sex) Manovas and Anovas. Group differences at pre were generally consistent with findings from prior studies, i.e., children of divorce were less well adjusted than children from two parent families. One exception, however, was the absence of pre-program differences among groups on a child measure of classroom adjustment. Pre-post adjustment changes for participants were contrasted with those of control and comparison subjects. Manovas and Anovas, based on a 3 (Condition) x 2 (Time) x 2 (Sex) model, were used to compare differential group changes across time. The experimental group improved more than the two nonprogram groups from multiple perspectives, i.e., child, parent, teacher, and group leader ratings, and on most measures. The main exception was the child-rated classroom adjustment measure which had also failed to discriminate among groups at pre. The study's findings suggest that this type of preventive intervention can enhance children's ability to cope with the stressful life events often associated with parental divorce. Limitations of the study and future research directions are also considered. (Abstract Adapted from Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, 1988. Copyright © 1988 by Linda Jayne Alpert-Gillis; University Microfilms International) For more information on the Children of Divorce Intervention Program (CODIP), see VioPro record number 3288. Children of Divorce Intervention Program Program Evaluation Program Effectiveness Program Development Program Implementation School Based Urban Youth Urban Environment Middle Childhood Elementary School Student Grade 2 Grade 3 Late Childhood Treatment Program Child Treatment Group Treatment Social Support Coping Skills Resiliency 11-00

The primary prevention of alcohol problems: a critical review of the research literature.

The research evaluating the effects of programs and policies in reducing the incidence of alcohol problems is critically reviewed. Four types of preventive interventions are examined including: (1) policies affecting the physical, economic and social availability of alcohol (e.g., minimum legal drinking age, price and advertising of alcohol), (2) formal social controls on alcohol-related behavior (e.g., drinking-driving laws), (3) primary prevention programs (e.g., school-based alcohol education), and (4) environmental safety measures (e.g., automobile airbags). The research generally supports the efficacy of three alcohol-specific policies: raising the minimum legal drinking age to 21, increasing alcohol taxes and increasing the enforcement of drinking-driving laws. Also, research suggests that various environmental safety measures reduce the incidence of alcohol-related trauma. In contrast, little evidence currently exists to support the efficacy of primary prevention programs. However, a systems perspective of prevention suggests that prevention programs may become more efficacious after widespread adoption of prevention policies that lead to shifts in social norms regarding use of beverage alcohol.

Toward a clarification of primary prevention.

The ambiguity of the concept of primary prevention and a vague fear that primary prevention may violate civil liberties are two of the important barriers blocking the implementation of primary prevention. Progress toward overcoming these barriers may be possible by distinguishing between the different but overlapping meanings of primary prevention. In this paper four models of primary prevention are proposed to aid definitional accuracy and to help identify and avoid those types of preventive interventions which threaten civil liberties.