Defining Prevention Science

Whoever coined the adage "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" could not have known how important this adage would become. The challenge of altering the health trajectories of poor lifestyle decisions for such behaviors as smoking, drinking and using illicit drugs, violence, dropping out of school, engagement in risky sexual behaviors and crime through prevention research has led to a new discipline, prevention science. Defining Prevention Science covers this emerging field of science: its goals, its conceptual and theoretical foundations, its methods and especially its utility. Not content to simply differentiate the field from its close allies: epidemiology, psychology, neuroscience, sociology, economics, the text explains how these many disciplines enhance each other at both research and intervention levels and how prevention science draws on these biological, behavioral and social sciences to create an innovative knowledge base that has provided cost-effective, evidence-based prevention interventions and policies. To this end, familiar developmental benchmarks are recast in prevention/health promotion context, from the crucial importance of adolescence in encountering and deterring high-risk behaviors to the risks and resiliencies of single-mother families. An international group of contributors offers current findings, up-to-date methods for effective evidence-based interventions and improvements in research technologies in these key areas: Physical, cognitive and emotional vulnerability across the life course. The roles of developmental influences in prevention. Intervention development, delivery and implementation. Bringing the intervention approach to research design. New directions in analytic methods. Cost analysis and policy implications. Advances in Prevention Science: Defining Prevention Science aims to inspire further refinements in the field and encourage communication among researchers in its own and related disciplines, including public health, epidemiology, psychology, and criminology. This is the first volume in the series, Advances in Prevention Science, that provides the framework for other volume that will focus on such issues as: Prevention Science in School Settings: Complex Relationships and Processes; Preventing Crime and Violence and The Prevention of Substance Use.

This straightforward volume makes a strong, practical, research-based case for integrating prevention programs into middle and high schools. Written by experts in prevention science and education, it examines educational goals and prevention of risky behaviors as parallel and complementary processes and provides evidence for health-promoting schools as a critical forum for student development. Chapters show the benefits of this collaboration, as instructors engage with prevention content, prevention scientists study schools and create interventions, and counselors develop and implement activities, resulting in improved academic, social, and health outcomes. Examples of successful prevention strategies address personal and public health issues as varied as substance abuse, dating violence, dropping out, and suicide. Among the topics covered: Engaging school leaders in prevention Developing school-based prevention curricula Scaling up evidence-based prevention interventions and practices Conducting prevention research and evaluation in schools Promoting a positive school climate and culture Reducing disruptive behavior, violence, and bullying Child and school psychologists, administrators, teachers, school counselors, and prevention specialists will find significant common ground in Prevention Science in School Settings. The breadth and depth of coverage point to new, multidisciplinary directions in health education, school climate/culture, and positive youth development.

Covers all major topics relevant to clinical social work. Discusses social work practice, multicultural and diversity issues, and research, as well as assessment and measurement.

This provocative and useful volume is a step-by-step guide to assist professionals in implementing valid and useful community research and creating preventive interventions that have positive and lasting effects on the development of the community. The authors--including James G. Kelly, one of the fathers of prevention--offer valuable suggestions for developing community processes to assist the prevention researcher and the community in designing research that is embedded in the community. Experts focus on the topics that can help establish and sustain effective long-term working relationships with community members. Numerous examples illustrate how the collaborative working relationship can create the variety of resources that are needed to eventually implement policy changes stimulated by the research and help to sustain the impact of the research findings after the research has been completed. This exciting book illustrates how community research related to the prevention of mental illness and the promotion of mental health can be scientific and objective, as well as a positive collaboration between the research staff and community members. Focus upon community needs Emphasize educational activities to support the prevention research Identify points of policy impact before the research begins Enhance the development of social networks and social support systems for the development of competencies Provide criteria for the selection of systemic variables for the research Include reference to the multiple levels of a community which may affect the research topic Specify ways in which participants can identify and own the research topic Outline criteria for assessing the side effects of the prevention research In order to better understand the needs, values, commitments, and resources of the community in which he or she is working, the researcher is encouraged to select research topics derived from underlying community needs, educated the public about prevention, identify points of policy impact, and determine the informal social networks that enhance the development of social competencies in the community. The benefits of the collaborative relationship between prevention researchers and the community are strongly emphasized. A Guide to Conducting Prevention Research in the Community aims to guide citizens and professionals in implementing valid and useful community research and create preventive interventions that have positive and lasting effects on the development of the community.

This volume provides a serious examination of substance use prevention research and practice as components of the continuum from health promotion through to prevention and health care in sub-groups and in the general population. Extensive background chapters provide portals into the evolution of the field and the cutting edge research being conducted on the etiology, epidemiology, and genetics of substance use and abuse. The global nature and health burden of substance use and abuse incorporates assessments of the serious problems related to the prevention of legal substance use (i.e., alcohol and tobacco) and how lessons learned in those arenas may apply to the prevention of illicit substance use. Research and practice chapters detail a range of effective evidence-based programs, policies and practices and emerging prevention interventions from the literatures on the family and school contexts in addition to innovations involving mindfulness and the social media. Continued advancements in substance use prevention research, practice, training, and policy are projected. Included among topics addressed are: Progression of substance use to abuse and substance use disorders The tobacco prevention experience: a model for substance use prevention? Policy interventions: intended and unintended influences on substance use Qualitative methods in the study of psychoactive substance use Use of media and social media in the prevention of substance use Supporting prevention science and prevention research internationally The array of research accomplishments and real-world methods presented in Prevention of Substance Use merits the attention of a variety of researchers and practitioners, including public health professionals, health psychologists, and epidemiologists.

Provides an integrated and holistic review of effective crime prevention programs, practices and policies, their theoretical grounding, the scientific evidence of their effectiveness, and the practical issues involved in their implementation at the community, state and national levels. The Prevention of Crime offers a comprehensive yet easy-to-understand overview of crime prevention strategies, such as programs and practices guided by life-course developmental theories of crime, situational crime prevention, law enforcement practices and policies, and correctional interventions. Containing the most up-to-date and accurate information about “what works” in crime prevention, this unique textbook introduces students to the public health and prevention science approaches to addressing the causes of crime, with a focus on prevention-oriented, community-based interventions. Throughout the text, the authors emphasize the importance of using high-quality scientific methodologies to identify effective and ineffective interventions that are based on theory, provide expert insights on practical issues relating to crime prevention in communities, and discuss how practitioners can effectively implement a range of crime prevention strategies. Incorporating recent advances and emerging research in the field, the second edition of The Prevention of Crime contains new and updated coverage of developments in criminological theory and evaluation methods, efforts to avoid and correct discriminatory crime prevention practices, understand how and why communities make adaptations to evidence-based interventions (EBI), strategies to investigate and communicate the impact of EBIs on different populations (including members of racial/ethnic minority groups), and more. This edition includes new links to relevant research and internet resources, additional real-world examples, updated crime statistics, and information on recent changes in EBI registries that list crime prevention interventions. Describes effective interventions that have been developed, tested, and used in the United States and internationally Demonstrates the relationship between criminological theories, research, and practice Discusses the practical challenges of implementing crime prevention strategies and policies Corrects misconceptions about widely-used prevention models shown to be ineffective in reducing crime Draws from cutting-edge conceptual frameworks and the latest research in prevention science and crime prevention Written to be accessible to students without formal training in research methods, The Prevention of Crime, Second Edition, is an excellent textbook for undergraduate and graduate programs in criminology, criminal justice, and prevention science programs, as well as courses on psychology, public health, sociology, and social work.