Prevention Science[JOURNAL]
Sun
200 papers
A Novel Approach to Research Synthesis with the Distillation and Matching Model: Application to the Prevention of Youth Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Problems.
Oddo LE, McLeod BD, Sutherland KS … +3 more , Chow JC, Ledford JR, Li GW
Prev Sci · 2025 Jan · PMID 39777638 · Full text
It is difficult for consumers to access the evidence base for prevention programs to determine which models or practices have the strongest empirical support for improving youth social, emotional, and behavioral (SEB) ou...
It is difficult for consumers to access the evidence base for prevention programs to determine which models or practices have the strongest empirical support for improving youth social, emotional, and behavioral (SEB) outcomes within their specific service contexts. Researchers can address this evidence-to-practice gap through innovations in research synthesis. The Distillation and Matching Model (Chorpita et al., 2005), an approach to research synthesis developed for the mental health field, is designed to identify what works for whom and under what conditions via three steps. In this paper, we describe the Distillation and Matching Model and suggest that applying this approach to the prevention literature for youth SEB problems may help bridge the evidence-to-practice gap. The first step, distillation, involves identifying "practice elements," defined as the goal or general principle guiding a discrete practice (e.g., praise) targeting a specific domain of SEB outcomes. This step produces a standard set of terms for the individual practices used across the literature that are studied in isolation and comprise comprehensive intervention models. The second step involves identifying "common elements," or the practice elements found in studies that meet standards of methodological rigor and report significant improvements in youth SEB outcomes. The third step, "matching," is a method for matching common element profiles (combinations of common elements) to intervention and personal characteristics to identify what combinations of common elements work for whom and under what conditions. The Distillation and Matching Model can provide a method for researchers to generate actionable information about common elements that can be used to develop and evaluate tailored interventions.
Promoting Positive Leadership: Examining the Long-Term Dynamics of Anti-Bullying Programs.
Dong Z, Huitsing G, Veenstra R
Prev Sci · 2025 Jan · PMID 39777637 · Publisher ↗
Anti-bullying programs can create more positive classroom environments by fostering the development of positive leaders who establish constructive norms. The social identity theory of leadership addresses stability and c...
Anti-bullying programs can create more positive classroom environments by fostering the development of positive leaders who establish constructive norms. The social identity theory of leadership addresses stability and change within different leader profiles and identifies leader group prototypicality: the extent to which leaders are perceived to embody the group identity, including standards, values, and norms. This study focuses on two key areas: (1) examining stability and change within positive and negative leader profiles, and (2) comparing transition probabilities between the KiVa anti-bullying intervention condition and a control condition. A sample of 6,629 children (2057 in the control condition and 4572 in the intervention condition) were followed from age 9 to age 11 in three waves of data collection. At each wave, latent profile analysis was used to identify two distinct leader profiles and three non-leader profiles based on peer nominations that included leadership, popularity, and both positive (defending) and negative (bullying) behavior. These profiles included (a) positive leaders, (b) negative leaders, (c) defenders, (d) bullies, and (e) modal children. Latent transition analysis for the full sample revealed more changing roles for negative leaders compared with positive leaders. In the intervention condition, negative leaders were more likely to make the transition to positive leaders than to bullies. This study shows that, in late childhood, positive leaders are perceived as more representative of the group leader prototypicality than negative leaders. These findings enhance understanding of leader profile evolution and may inform tailored leadership interventions.
Videoconferencing Delivery of the Seoul Premarital Education Program During COVID-19: A Quasi-experimental Study Using Inverse Probability of Treatment Weighting.
Park J, Lee J
Prev Sci · 2026 Jan · PMID 39757299 · Full text
This study examined whether the Seoul Premarital Education Program (S-PEP) was effective when it was delivered via videoconferencing (VC) during the early COVID-19 period. S-PEP is a city-wide educational program designe...
This study examined whether the Seoul Premarital Education Program (S-PEP) was effective when it was delivered via videoconferencing (VC) during the early COVID-19 period. S-PEP is a city-wide educational program designed to prevent marital distress by enhancing premarital readiness and relationship quality for couples. Because a randomized controlled trial was not realistic due to the pandemic, we recruited an intervention group and a no-intervention comparison group independently, who completed both the pre- and posttests. We then employed inverse probability of treatment weighting to derive two comparable groups. The weighted samples of 291 women and 228 men were analyzed separately using linear mixed models. The results showed that S-PEP via VC was effective in increasing levels of marital readiness for both women and men and in enhancing relationship confidence and satisfaction for women. Our findings suggest that VC can be a promising delivery strategy for curriculum-based group interventions for couples.
Addressing Methodological Challenges in Follow-Up RCTs During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Impact of the Good Behavior Game and MyTeachingPartner™ on Teacher Burnout and Self-Efficacy.
Budavari AC, McDaniel HL, Morgan-López AA … +4 more , Musci RJ, Downer JT, Ialongo NS, Bradshaw CP
Prev Sci · 2026 Jan · PMID 39747783 · Full text
Retention of early career teachers is a critical issue in education, with burnout and self-efficacy serving as important precursors to teachers leaving the field. An integration of the PAX Good Behavior Game (GBG; Barris...
Retention of early career teachers is a critical issue in education, with burnout and self-efficacy serving as important precursors to teachers leaving the field. An integration of the PAX Good Behavior Game (GBG; Barrish et al., 1969) and MyTeachingPartner (MTP; Allen et al., 2015) was tested in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to investigate whether the combined programs would improve long-term outcomes for early career teachers. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a higher proportion of missing data and attrition in follow-up data collection than otherwise would have been expected. The current paper focused specifically on intervention impacts on teacher-reported burnout and self-efficacy through the COVID-19 pandemic and explored various approaches for addressing missing data as an illustrative example for other researchers who may similarly have faced missing data challenges due to the pandemic. Participants included in the original trial were N = 188 early career teachers (grades K-3) who were randomly assigned to either the intervention (i.e., GBG + MTP; n = 94 teachers) or control condition (n = 94) and provided baseline data. Specifically, teachers reported on their burnout and self-efficacy at pre-intervention (Fall), post-intervention (Spring), 1-year post intervention (in Fall and Spring), COVID Year 1 (Spring 2021), and COVID Year 2 (Spring 2022). We conducted a series of outcomes analyses under varying missing data assumptions (i.e., MCAR, MAR, NMAR). There were mixed findings (i.e., both null and beneficial) regarding GBG + MTP impacts on burnout, which varied across missing data assumptions; however, there were no GBG + MTP impacts on self-efficacy. This study may also provide insight for other researchers encountering similar challenges when analyzing follow-up data collected during the COVID-19 pandemic, as we highlight pros and cons of several different approaches for modeling missing data related to attrition due to the COVID-19 pandemic and related school closures.
Correction to: Targeted Child Mental Health Prevention and Parenting Support Within a Canadian Context: A Randomized Controlled Trial Evaluating the U.S.-Developed Family Check-Up®.
Bennett T, Georgiades K, Gonzalez A … +9 more , Janus M, Lipman E, Pires P, Prime H, Duku E, Jambon M, McLennan JD, Gross J, Making the Race Fair Study Team
Prev Sci · 2025 Jul · PMID 39729256 · Full text
Abstract loading — click title to view on PubMed.
Investing in Custodial Grandparents: Cost Analysis of the Social Intelligence Program.
Crowley DM, Tate AM, Hur YS … +6 more , Castro S, Musil CM, Dolbin-MacNab ML, O'Neill P, Infurna FJ, Smith G
Prev Sci · 2024 Dec · PMID 39668282 · Full text
Rising child welfare costs and a desire to keep kids out of the system have encouraged the use of kinship care-of which custodial grandparents make up the majority of caregivers. Unfortunately, custodial grandparents rep...
Rising child welfare costs and a desire to keep kids out of the system have encouraged the use of kinship care-of which custodial grandparents make up the majority of caregivers. Unfortunately, custodial grandparents report greater needs for social and emotional support to successfully care for their grandchildren. Yet, the resources required to provide preventive social-emotional support to these families are unknown. In the wake of the Family First Act and other policy actions to expand preventive services, we undertake a cost analysis of the social intelligence training (SIT) within a randomized controlled trial spanning 48 states of the United States of America. Estimated implementation costs were $90,638 (CI $45,254-186,998) which equated to $255 (CI $127-526) per participant. This dual-generation online approach offers key lessons into not only how to resource social-emotional learning (SEL) prevention for custodial grandparents-but also sheds light on how we might provide universal supports to this population. Child welfare system costs have risen to over $33 billion dollars a year-with nearly half of all spending being the result of out-of-home placement (Rosinsky et al., 2021) Child Welfare Financing SFY 2018: A survey of federal, state, and local expenditures. https://www.childtrends.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/ChildWelfareFinancing_ChildTrends_March2021.pdf ). Practitioners, policymakers, and child advocates are seeking solutions for how to both better protect children and manage these growing public costs (Ringel et al., 2018). Improving child welfare outcomes: Balancing investments in prevention and treatment. Rand health quarterly, 7(4)). Further, many extended families seek ways to keep children out of the "system" when parents are unable to care for their offspring (Lin, Children and Youth Services Review 93:203-216, 2018). A strategy used by all of these groups is the use of kinship care arrangements where extended family provides formal or informal care of children. Several important benefits are recognized from kinship care, including providing connections to family members, communities, and culture. Yet, little is known about how social-emotional supports could enhance kinship arrangements, and to date, no studies have systematically evaluated the costs of such supports. In this context, we conduct a cost analysis of such a program-known as social intelligence training.
Effects of Situational Loneliness on Mental Health and Sleep Health Outcomes among White Older Adults during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Siddiqua A, Parisi JM, Manini TM … +2 more , Kaufmann CN, Smail EJ
Prev Sci · 2025 Jan · PMID 39666248 · Full text
OBJECTIVES: This study examined the cross-sectional and 2-year prospective associations between situational loneliness and health outcomes in older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: Data were collected using...
OBJECTIVES: This study examined the cross-sectional and 2-year prospective associations between situational loneliness and health outcomes in older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: Data were collected using an online survey that evaluated behaviors (e.g., socialization) and health outcomes at two points (May-June 2020 and October-November 2022) during the pandemic. Logistic regression was used to analyze the cross-sectional associations between situational loneliness and health outcomes (i.e., depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and sleep health) while linear regression was used to examine the prospective associations. RESULTS: In a sample of 428 older adults (age 65 +), situational loneliness was associated with short-term, but not long-term, increases in depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and problems with sleep. CONCLUSION: Findings suggest that the older adult population demonstrates resilience in the face of short-term increases in loneliness. Thus, promoting resilience may be a promising strategy for mitigating the negative consequences of situational loneliness.
Crossover Effects of PROSPER on Young Adult Suicide Risk: the Role of Adolescent Belongingness to Family and School.
Bai S, Fosco GM, Feinberg ME … +1 more , Spoth RL
Prev Sci · 2025 Jan · PMID 39658756 · Publisher ↗
Universal and selective preventive interventions targeting youth behavioral problems have shown crossover effects on suicide risk, the second leading cause of death among youth. However, the mechanisms that explain this...
Universal and selective preventive interventions targeting youth behavioral problems have shown crossover effects on suicide risk, the second leading cause of death among youth. However, the mechanisms that explain this long-term unanticipated benefit are understudied and unclear. The current study examines the crossover effects of PROSPER, a community-university partnership model for delivering interventions for the prevention of adolescent substance misuse. We examine whether intervention effects on developmental trajectories of parent-child relationship quality and school belongingness explain the putative crossover effects. The analytical sample was 1,974 youth who participated in a randomized controlled trial of PROSPER in the 6th grade and completed an age 19 follow-up assessment. Participants completed annual assessments of parent-child relationship quality and school belongingness from the 6th to 12th grades, and reported on suicidal thoughts during the young adulthood assessment. Our developmental cascade model showed that PROSPER reduced the magnitude of declines in youths' reports of school belongingness from the 6th to 12th grade. In turn, youth who reported less decline in school belongingness reported fewer depression symptoms and suicidal thoughts during young adulthood. Study findings highlight the role of decline in school belongingness as a factor that contributes to the effects of universal prevention programs on youth suicide risk.
How Can Implementation Science Advance Behavioral Interventions in Preschool? A Scoping Review and Recommendations.
Zulauf-McCurdy CA, Johansson M, Hashimoto JR … +1 more , Meza RD
Prev Sci · 2024 Dec · PMID 39652250 · Full text
Behavioral interventions delivered in preschools can help young children who need support for their behavior. However, preschool teachers face barriers to implementing behavioral interventions, leading to a research-to-p...
Behavioral interventions delivered in preschools can help young children who need support for their behavior. However, preschool teachers face barriers to implementing behavioral interventions, leading to a research-to-practice gap. To better understand how to support preschool teachers, we conducted a scoping review of determinants (i.e., barriers and facilitators) and strategies used to support the implementation of behavioral interventions in preschool settings. A systematic search identified peer-reviewed manuscripts describing the implementation of teacher-delivered behavioral interventions in preschools. Each included manuscript was evaluated to answer the following questions: (1) what determinants to teacher implementation of behavioral interventions have been explored and (2) what strategies have been identified as promising in addressing determinants (i.e., implementation strategies)? Twenty-two manuscripts met inclusion criteria. Data extraction and synthesis were used to summarize key findings. Results indicate that few studies have explored determinants of implementation, and while these determinants span numerous implementation domains, there was little consensus on common determinants. In contrast, all the included studies deployed an implementation strategy, and there were two clear foci of the strategies: training and quality monitoring. Implications and recommendations are discussed for both the preschool context and the implementation science field.
A Multi-Dimensional, Multi-Informant Examination of Adolescent Psychopathy and its Links to Parental Monitoring: The Moderating Role of Resting Arousal.
Bellamy NA, Salekin RT, Racz SJ … +1 more , De Los Reyes A
Prev Sci · 2025 May · PMID 39644384 · Publisher ↗
Recent work indicates clinically meaningful differences in domains of psychopathic personality - such as grandiose-manipulative (GM), callous-unemotional (CU), and daring-impulsive (DI) traits - and parenting factors. Ye...
Recent work indicates clinically meaningful differences in domains of psychopathic personality - such as grandiose-manipulative (GM), callous-unemotional (CU), and daring-impulsive (DI) traits - and parenting factors. Yet, different domains of parenting and reports from multiple informants may vary in their associations to psychopathic traits. This study examined psychopathic traits and their links with parental monitoring behaviors, parental knowledge, and adolescent disclosure. Further, we evaluated whether adolescents' self-reported resting arousal moderated these associations. A mixed clinic-referred/community sample of 134 adolescent-parent dyads (M = 14.49; SD = 0.50; 66.4% female) completed multi-dimensional measures of psychopathy, parental monitoring behaviors, parental knowledge, and adolescent disclosure; adolescents also self-reported on their resting arousal. Results indicated links between: (a) increased parent-reported GM traits and decreased parent-reported parental knowledge, and (b) increased parent-reported DI traits and lower parent-reported monitoring behaviors, which were attenuated at high levels of adolescent-reported resting arousal. Associations between elevated dimensions of psychopathic traits and lower levels of parental monitoring behaviors, parental knowledge, and adolescent disclosure were most consistent within-informants, with some cross-informant associations identified for links between elevated GM and DI and lower levels of parental monitoring behaviors and parental knowledge. These findings have important implications for our understanding of how to assess and prevent psychopathy and associated externalizing problems, and suggest that targeting modifiable environmental and psychophysiological factors may be particularly important.
Parent Outreach Efforts Extend the Sustained Benefits of a Preschool Classroom Intervention: Adolescent Follow-Up of a Randomized Controlled Trial.
Slotkin R, Bierman KL, Heinrichs BS … +1 more , Welsh JA
Prev Sci · 2024 Dec · PMID 39636371 · Publisher ↗
The Research-based Developmentally Informed (REDI) program enriched Head Start classrooms with teacher-delivered curriculum components designed to enhance child social-emotional learning and language-literacy skills. Par...
The Research-based Developmentally Informed (REDI) program enriched Head Start classrooms with teacher-delivered curriculum components designed to enhance child social-emotional learning and language-literacy skills. Parents received information about the program via backpack express, including weekly handouts about program topics and three DVDs illustrating REDI interactive strategies and suggesting home learning activities. In addition to effects on child skill acquisition and school performance (reported previously), positive effects emerged on a family-based outcome: parents of children in REDI-enriched classrooms reported higher quality preschool parent-child conversations than parents in the randomized control group (usual practice) classrooms. This study examined the long-term benefits associated with intervention-related improvements in preschool conversations. The original sample included 356 children (58% White, 24% Black, and 18% Latinx; 54% girls, 46% boys); 77% had the high school follow-up data used in this study. Longitudinal GLM analyses documented significant REDI intervention effects on parent-adolescent communication quality (assessed in the 7th and 9th grades) and on parent- and youth-reported high school behavior problems (assessed in 11th grade). Path analyses revealed significant serial mediation from intervention-related improvements in preschool conversations to parent-adolescent communication quality (grades 7-9) to reductions in later youth-reported (but not parent-reported) behavior problems (grade 11). The findings suggest that including "light touch" parent engagement materials with preschool classroom interventions can contribute to long-term program benefits.
Finding Solutions to Scaling Parenting Programs That Work: a Systems-Contextual Approach.
Turner KMT, Sanders MR
Prev Sci · 2025 May · PMID 39592561 · Publisher ↗
Prevention science has now encompassed decades of research exploring risk and protective factors and effective programs for the prevention and treatment of childhood behavioral, emotional, and developmental concerns. Thi...
Prevention science has now encompassed decades of research exploring risk and protective factors and effective programs for the prevention and treatment of childhood behavioral, emotional, and developmental concerns. This paper shares our experience over the last 40 years as program developers and researchers in responding to contemporary needs and finding solutions to barriers preventing access to evidence-based parenting support. We propose a systems-contextual approach to designing and implementing programs that meet families' needs and preferences and promote self-regulatory capacity across the lifespan. Key areas discussed are innovations to improve the reach of evidence-based parenting support (e.g., online program delivery, cultural adaptation, and tailored programs to engage vulnerable children and families), innovations to improve professional training outcomes (e.g., competency-based training, peer supervision and support, implementation support, and workforce development), and innovations to meet future needs (e.g., embracing new technology, standing by science, and considering global issues). It is incumbent on program developers, researchers, and clinicians to continue to evolve our practices and service systems in response to new evidence, societal changes, and technical advances to remain relevant and impactful in shifting prevalence rates of conduct problems and promoting child, family, and community well-being.
General and Specific Risk and Protective Factors for Cigarette and Electronic Nicotine Delivery System (ENDS) Use.
Halvorson MA, Epstein M, Caouette JD … +4 more , Danzo S, Satchell AK, Oesterle S, Kuklinski MR
Prev Sci · 2024 Dec · PMID 39592560 · Full text
Electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS or e-cigarette) use is at least as common as cigarette use among today's young adults. However, most prevention approaches are based on risk and protective factors (RPFs) that we...
Electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS or e-cigarette) use is at least as common as cigarette use among today's young adults. However, most prevention approaches are based on risk and protective factors (RPFs) that were identified with respect to cigarette use alone. To the extent that RPFs differ for cigarette and ENDS use, tailored approaches are needed to reduce the burden of nicotine use. In the current study, we examined both shared general RPFs and substance-specific RPFs across a developmental period spanning early adolescence to young adulthood, with the goal of identifying upstream preventive intervention targets for cigarette and ENDS use. The current study used data from the Community Youth Development Study (n = 4407) collected at 7 time points from early adolescence (age 12) through young adulthood (age 26). Using longitudinal structural equation modeling, we examined the contributions of adolescent and young adult RPFs to young adult cigarette and ENDS use. We examined general protective factors (e.g., family bonding and peer opportunities for prosocial involvement), cigarette-specific risk (e.g., friends' cigarette use and permissive community norms), and peer polysubstance use. General protective factors assessed in early adolescence had an indirect association with young adult cigarette and ENDS use, mediated through later RPFs. Whereas both cigarette-specific RPFs and peer polysubstance use predicted ENDS use in young adulthood, only cigarette-specific RPFs were related to cigarette use in young adulthood. Our findings suggest that, although addressing known RPFs holds value for preventing ENDS use, additional prevention targets should also be considered. Early prevention approaches might seek to strengthen protective factors, whereas later prevention approaches might target cigarette beliefs for cigarette use and peer polysubstance use for ENDS use.
Predictors of the Onset of Sexual Violence Perpetration in Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood.
Ybarra ML, Petras H, Goodman KL … +1 more , Mitchell KJ
Prev Sci · 2024 Dec · PMID 39585501 · Publisher ↗
To identify factors in adolescence that predict the onset of sexual violence in adolescence and young adulthood. Data were analyzed from six survey waves of the longitudinal Growing up with Media Study (2008-2018) conduc...
To identify factors in adolescence that predict the onset of sexual violence in adolescence and young adulthood. Data were analyzed from six survey waves of the longitudinal Growing up with Media Study (2008-2018) conducted in the USA. Participants were 778 youth 13-18 years old at baseline, who completed online surveys assessing sexual violence behaviors and predictors. Sexual violence perpetration behaviors included sexual assault, rape, attempted rape, and coercive sex. Only 2% of females and 3% of males reported their first sexual violence perpetration by age 14. In contrast, by age 18, 6% of females and 12% of males had perpetrated their first sexual violence. For both males and females, the rate of the onset seems to plateau by age 22. Predictors of the onset of sexually violent behavior for those who began perpetrating when they were 14-17 years old were largely similar to those who began perpetrating when they were 18-25 years old. Alcohol plus other substance use, aggressive and delinquent behavior, caregiver monitoring, behavior problems at school, externalizing peers, exposure to community violence, and exposure to violent media were all implicated. Early prevention-well before college and perhaps even before high school-is needed to have an impact on the onset of sexual violence perpetration, as most perpetrators of sexual violence will have acted for the first time by age 23. Several modifiable risk factors observed in adolescence could signal the opportunity for targeted prevention to reduce the odds of onset of sexual violence.
Targeted Child Mental Health Prevention and Parenting Support Within a Canadian Context: A Randomized Controlled Trial Evaluating the U.S.-Developed Family Check-Up®.
Bennett T, Georgiades K, Gonzalez A … +9 more , Janus M, Lipman E, Pires P, Prime H, Duku E, Jambon M, McLennan JD, Gross J, Making the Race Fair Study Team
Prev Sci · 2025 May · PMID 39572487 · Full text
Canada lacks an approach to early childhood mental health prevention aimed at decreasing barriers to care among highest-needs families. In this Canadian randomized controlled trial, we aimed to evaluate whether participa...
Canada lacks an approach to early childhood mental health prevention aimed at decreasing barriers to care among highest-needs families. In this Canadian randomized controlled trial, we aimed to evaluate whether participation in the Family Check-Up® (FCU®) would be associated with lower severity of child behavior problems (primary outcome) and caregiver psychological distress and daily parenting stress (secondary outcomes). Eligible caregivers of children aged 2-4 years with (i) high severity of behavior problems and/or (ii) above-average severity plus ≥ 1 family psychosocial risk factor were recruited from early education, community, and clinical settings in Hamilton, Ontario. Randomization: either the FCU® or a community comparison arm (206 analyzed of 207 enrolled). Caregiver reports on their child's behavior problems (primary outcome, Child Behavior Checklist Externalizing Problems Scale), caregiver psychological distress, and daily parenting stress (secondary) were obtained 12 months after study enrolment, and rates of change were modeled over 0, 6, and 12 months. FCU® participants reported lower child behavior problem severity scores 12 months post-enrolment than did community comparison participants (d = 0.38, p < 0.01). Caregiver psychological distress (d = 0.17, p = 0.3) and parenting stress (d = .05, p = 0.8) did not differ significantly between arms. FCU® participants reported improvements in the severity of child behavior problems, relative to a community comparison group, but not in caregiver distress or parenting stress at 12 months. Positive results for primary outcome indicate the FCU's® promise as an effective child mental health prevention program in Canada. Further evaluation of intensified caregiver mental health supports may be warranted. Trial registered at Clinicaltrials.gov (#NCT02800603).
Correction to: Emotional Availability as a Moderator of Stress for Young Children and Parents in Two Diverse Early Head Start Samples.
Senehi N, Flykt M, Biringen Z … +6 more , Laudenslager ML, Watamura SE, Garrett BA, Kominsky TK, Wurster HE, Sarche M
Prev Sci · 2024 Dec · PMID 39570525 · Full text
Abstract loading — click title to view on PubMed.
Practical, Economic, and Policy Implications of the Leve et al. Paper.
Fishbein DH, Roman J
Prev Sci · 2024 Dec · PMID 39565440 · Publisher ↗
This commentary responds to the paper recently published in Prevention Science, entitled "The Promise and Challenges of Integrating Biological and Prevention Sciences: A Community-Engaged Model for the Next Generation of...
This commentary responds to the paper recently published in Prevention Science, entitled "The Promise and Challenges of Integrating Biological and Prevention Sciences: A Community-Engaged Model for the Next Generation of Translational Research" by Leve and colleagues (2024). A framework is advanced to provide a rationale for and facilitate the difficult and oft-avoided task of integrating concepts, techniques, methods, and datasets from diverse disciplines. The unfortunate reality is that disciplines germane to prevention continue to be highly siloed. The field of prevention science stands to benefit from knowledge that leads to greater precision-based-and thereby more effective-approaches to intervention. What is particularly underappreciated is the potential for this information to also guide policymaking based on what we could learn about the social-ecological conditions that impact child and youth brain and behavioral development and are alterable in response to evidence-informed public health policies. In this commentary, we offer some context for and appraisal of the paper and provide additional rationale for a precision-based approach with appropriate precautions for the research and utility of findings. Discussion ensues on the economic pros and cons and the policy implications of this integrative "neuroprevention" strategy should the field of prevention science accept the challenge.
Inhibitory Control in Late Childhood as a Predictor of Antisocial Behavior in Adolescence and the Role of Social Context.
Suarez GL, Shaw DS, Wilson MN … +2 more , Lemery-Chalfant K, Hyde LW
Prev Sci · 2025 May · PMID 39562476 · Full text
Understanding the factors contributing to adolescent antisocial behavior is crucial for effective interventions. Protracted development of cognitive control systems supporting inhibitory control may be linked to increase...
Understanding the factors contributing to adolescent antisocial behavior is crucial for effective interventions. Protracted development of cognitive control systems supporting inhibitory control may be linked to increases in adolescent antisocial behavior, suggesting the promotion of inhibitory control as a potential preventative strategy. Concurrently, social contextual factors, including peer relationships, parent-child dynamics, and the neighborhood environment, may exacerbate or buffer the risk posed by low inhibitory control. In a large, longitudinal sample of youth from racially and ethnically diverse low-income families (N = 731), we examined the association between inhibitory control (age 10.5) and antisocial behavior (age 14) and explored contextual factors (neighborhood, peer relationships, parent-child relationship) as potential moderators. Lastly, we investigated whether a randomized controlled trial of the Family Check-Up (FCU) intervention started at age 2 predicted a decreased youth report of antisocial behavior in adolescence via increased inhibitory control in late childhood. We found that lower inhibitory control in late childhood predicted increased antisocial behavior in adolescence. For youth with low inhibitory control, living in a dangerous neighborhood or associating more with deviant peers increased the risk for adolescent antisocial behavior. Finally, the FCU intervention indirectly reduced youth-reported adolescent antisocial behavior via enhancing inhibitory control in late childhood, and the indirect effect was strongest for youth in risky contexts (e.g., low parental knowledge and control). Although risky contexts can exacerbate individual risks related to deficits in inhibitory control, greater inhibitory control may be a protective factor. Additionally, early childhood interventions can improve inhibitory skills and decrease the risk of adolescent antisocial behavior, particularly for youth within risky contexts.
Digital Health Delivery of Parenting Skills to Improve Conduct Problems in Middle School Youth Across Two Distinct Randomized Trials.
Stormshak E, Connell A, Mauricio AM … +2 more , McLaughlin M, Caruthers A
Prev Sci · 2025 May · PMID 39556238 · Full text
This study evaluated direct and indirect effects of the Family Check-Up Online (FCU-O) across two distinct randomized trials with middle school youth and families. The FCU-O is a digital health adaptation of the Family C...
This study evaluated direct and indirect effects of the Family Check-Up Online (FCU-O) across two distinct randomized trials with middle school youth and families. The FCU-O is a digital health adaptation of the Family Check-Up that is delivered in a brief, online format with supportive coaching. The FCU-O was delivered to parents of middle school youth with a focus on targeting both proximal and distal outcomes that impact the development of conduct problems, including a range of parenting skills, effortful control, and youth emotional problems. Participants were primary caregivers of children aged 10 to 14 years. Eligibility varied across the trials and included endorsing depression or significant stress, or having a child enrolled in a school with limited resources. A total of 374 participants across trials were included in the analysis and were randomly assigned to receive the intervention or control. Using Integrative Data Analytic techniques, we examined the effects of random assignment on a range of outcomes, including emotional and behavior problems, parenting skills, parenting confidence, and effortful control. We examined the indirect effects of the FCU-O on changes in conduct problems from baseline to 6 months via changes in mediator variables at the first follow-up assessment (2-3 months). The FCU-O improved emotional problems, effortful control, parenting confidence, and parent sense of importance at the first follow-up. Mediation analyses suggested indirect effects on conduct problems at 6-month follow-up via improvements in effortful control and emotional problems, but not via improvements in parenting confidence or sense of parenting importance. Results indicate the FCU-O has potential as a public health intervention for families with middle school youth to reduce behavioral risk. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03060291; NCT05117099.
A Multicomponent Preventive Intervention in the Early Elementary Years: A Look at Academic and Social Adjustment Outcomes.
Prinz RJ, Smith EP, Tennie B
Prev Sci · 2025 May · PMID 39523255 · Full text
Cogent indicated prevention with young children at risk for early onset conduct problems needs to address multiple domains of influence in school and home settings. A multicontextual preventive intervention (MPI) spannin...
Cogent indicated prevention with young children at risk for early onset conduct problems needs to address multiple domains of influence in school and home settings. A multicontextual preventive intervention (MPI) spanning grades one and two was conducted in schools serving economically disadvantaged communities and evaluated separately for boys and girls. The cluster randomized design evaluated children nested within schools receiving either the MPI (6 schools), which consisted of after-school reading-mentoring, home-based family, peer coping-skills, and classroom components, or a control condition (6 schools) involving a school-wide conflict management program without targeted intervention. Drawn at the end of kindergarten based on elevated behavioral difficulties and first-grade attendance at one of the 12 schools, the two subsamples consisted of 193 boys and 171 girls (63% in households with annual income < $15,000; 95% Black children). Extensive fidelity data indicated that the MPI components were well implemented. The two post-intervention third-grade outcomes in this report are academic performance and social/behavioral adjustment. The analyses involved a linear mixed effects model controlling for school. The key finding for the male subsample was that the MPI produced greater overall and language-arts/reading achievement, measured by report cards for the entire third-grade school year, compared with the control group. MPI-control differences did not emerge for externalizing problems and social competence assessed via teacher and parent report. In the face of elevated risk and poverty, the study underscored the importance of contributions from community-based reading-mentors, positive and inclusive classrooms, and nurturing family contexts in achieving academic gains.
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