Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-lnqnp Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T16:46:19.501Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

1 - The Practice and Science of Prevention: Introduction and Overview

from Part One - A Foundation in Prevention

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 November 2024

By
Sally M. Hage  and
Mary Iellamo
Edited by
Sally M. Hage
Sally M. Hage
Affiliation:
Springfield College
Get access

Summary

An orientation to prevention is critical to abate the existing mental health crisis, with one in five US adults presently having a mental illness. The unmet need for mental health services is grounded in tenacious health, social, racial, and economic disparities, exacerbated by the pandemics of COVID-19 and racism. These realities present an unremitting threat to people’s lives, their physical welfare, and their psychological and social well-being. Despite a dearth of prevention training, psychologists and counselors may be best positioned to engage in prevention work. As professionals, we often feel powerless to prevent human suffering, and yet, we yearn, deep in our hearts, for a way to intervene earlier so as to prevent pain in our communities, intuitively aware that a way exists to make people’s lives easier and our work more impactful. This chapter introduces the approach of the book, which is to provide mental health professionals with the knowledge, resources, and tools to engage in “before-the-fact” intervention, to apply an ounce of prevention to the work we do, and to utilize a strength-based, culturally focused framework. In addition, this chapter provides a rationale and definition of prevention and an overview of the model prevention programs presented in this book.

Keywords

preventionprevention trainingsocial justiceounce of preventionbefore-the-fact interventionhealth disparitiesstrength-basedmodel prevention programs
Type
Chapter
Information
An Ounce of Prevention
Evidence-Based Prevention for Counseling and Psychology
 , pp. 3 - 22
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abrams, Z. (2023, January). Kids’ mental health is in crisis. Here’s what psychologists are doing to help. APA Monitor, 54(1), 63. www.apa.org/monitor/2023/01/trends-improving-youth-mental-healthGoogle Scholar
Albee, G. W. (2000). Commentary on prevention and counseling psychology. The Counseling Psychologist, 28(6), 845–853. doi.org/10.1177/0011000000286006CrossRefGoogle Scholar
American Psychological Association. (2014). Guidelines for prevention in psychology. American Psychologist, 69(3), 285–296. doi.org/10.1037/a0034569CrossRefGoogle Scholar
American Psychological Association. (2021). Stress in America: Stress and decision-making during the pandemic. www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2021/decision-making-october-2021.pdfGoogle Scholar
American Psychological Association. (2022). Psychologists struggle to meet demand amid mental health crisis. www.apa.org/pubs/reports/practitioner/2022-covid-psychologist-workload.Google Scholar
Anyon, Y., Bender, K., Kennedy, H., & Dechants, J. (2018). A systematic review of youth participatory action research (YPAR) in the United States: Methodologies, youth outcomes, and future directions. Health Education & Behavior, 45(6), 865–878.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Arnett, J. J. (2000). Emerging adulthood: A theory of development from the late teens through the twenties. American Psychologist, 55(5), 469–480.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Baid, D., Hayles, E., & Finkelstein, E.A. (2021). Return on investment of workplace wellness programs for chronic disease prevention: A systematic review. American Journal of Preventive Medicine. 61(2), 256–266. doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2021.02.002CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Banyard, V. L., & Hamby, S. L. (2022). Strengths-based prevention: Reducing violence and other public health problems. American Psychological Association.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Becker, C. B., & Stice, E. (2017). From efficacy to effectiveness to broad implementation: Evolution of the body project. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 85(8), 767–782. doi.org/10.1037/ccp0000204CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bridge, J. A., Ruch, D. A., Sheftall, A. H., Hahm, H. C., O’Keefe, V. M., Fontanella, C. A., Brock, G., Campo, J. V., & Horowitz, L. M. (2023). Youth suicide during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Pediatrics, e2022058375. Advance online publication. doi.org/10.1542/peds.2022-058375CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bulik, C. M., Thornton, L. M., Parker, R., Kennedy, H., Baker, J. H., MacDermod, C., Guintivano, J., Cleland, L., Miller, A. L., Harper, L., Larsen, J. T., Yilmaz, Z., Grove, J., Sullivan, P. F., Petersen, L. V., Jordan, J., Kennedy, M. A., & Martin, N. G. (2021). The Eating Disorders Genetics Initiative (EDGI): Study protocol. BMC Psychiatry, 21(1), 234. doi.org/10.1186/s12888-021-03212-3CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Caplan, G. (1964). Principles of preventive psychiatry. Basic Books.Google Scholar
Catalano, R. F., Berglund, M. L., Ryan, J. A. M., Lonczak, H. S., & Hawkins, J. D. (2002). Positive youth development in the United States: Research findings on evaluations of positive youth development programs. Prevention & Treatment, 5(1), Article 15. doi.org/10.1037/1522-3736.5.1.515aGoogle Scholar
Centers for Disease Control. (2022). Suicide prevention resource for action. US Department of Health and Human Services. www.cdc.gov/suicide/resources/prevention.htmlGoogle Scholar
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020). Heart disease and mental health disorders. www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/mentalhealth.htmGoogle Scholar
Chaddha, A., Robinson, E. A., Kline-Rogers, E., Alexandris-Souphis, T., & Rubenfire, M. (2016). Mental health and cardiovascular disease. The American Journal of Medicine, 129(11), 1145–1148. doi.org/10.1016/j.amjmed.2016.05.018CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Christensen, K. A., Forbush, K. T., Richson, B. N., Thomeczek, M. L., Perko, V. L., Bjorlie, K., Christian, K., Ayres, J., Wildes, J. E., & Mildrum Chana, S. (2021). Food insecurity associated with elevated eating disorder symptoms, impairment, and eating disorder diagnoses in an American University student sample before and during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The International Journal of Eating Disorders, 54(7), 1213–1223. doi.org/10.1002/eat.23517CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ciao, A. C., Loth, K., & Neumark-Sztainer, D. (2014). Preventing eating disorder pathology: Common and unique features of successful eating disorders prevention programs. Current Psychiatry Reports, 16(7), 453. doi.org/10.1007/s11920-014-0453-0CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Clay, R. (2023, January). Suicide prevention gets a new lifeline. APA Monitor, 54(1), 73. www.apa.org/monitor/2023/01/trends-suicide-prevention-lifelineGoogle Scholar
Conyne, R. (1997). Educating students in preventive counseling. Counselor Education and Supervision, 36, 259–269.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
De Hert, M., Detraux, J., & Vancampfort, D. (2018). The intriguing relationship between coronary heart disease and mental disorders. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience, 20(1), 31–40. doi.org/10.31887/DCNS.2018.20.1/mdehertCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Durlak, J.A. (2003). Effective prevention and health promotion programming. In Gullotta, T. (Ed.), Encyclopedia of primary prevention and health promotion (pp. 61–69). Springer. doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-0195-4_6Google Scholar
Durlak, J. A., Taylor, R. D., Kawashima, K., Pachan, M. K., DuPre, E. P., Celio, C. I., Berger, S. R., Dymnicki, A. B., & Weissberg, R. P. (2007). Effects of positive youth development programs on school, family, and community systems. American Journal of Community Psychology, 39(3–4), 269–286. doi.org/10.1007/s10464-007-9112-5CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Evidence-Based Practices Resource Center. (n.d.). www.samhsa.gov/resource-search/ebpGoogle Scholar
Galea, S., Merchant, R. M., & Lurie, N. (2020). The mental health consequences of COVID-19 and physical distancing – The need for prevention and early intervention. JAMA Internal Medicine, 180(6), 817–818.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gittelsohn, J., Belcourt, A., Magarati, M., Booth-LaForce, C., Duran, B., Mishra, S. I., Belone, L., & Jernigan, V. B. B. (2020). Building capacity for productive indigenous community-university partnerships. Prevention Science, 21(1), 22–32.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gordon, R. S. Jr. (1983). An operational classification of disease prevention. Public Health Reports, 98(2), 107–109.Google ScholarPubMed
Greenberg, M. T., Domitrovich, C., & Bumbarger, B. (2001). The prevention of mental disorders in school-aged children: Current state of the field. Prevention & Treatment, 4(1), Article 1a. doi.org/10.1037/1522-3736.4.1.41aCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hage, S. M., & Kenny, M. E. (2009). Promoting a social justice approach to prevention: future directions for training, practice, and research. The Journal of Primary Prevention, 30(1), 75–87. doi.org/10.1007/s10935-008-0165-5CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hage, S. M., Miles, J. R., Lewis, J. A., Grzanka, P. R., & Goodman, L. A. (2020). The social justice practicum in counseling psychology training. Training and Education in Professional Psychology, 14(2), 156–166. doi.org/10.1037/tep0000299CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hage, S. M., Romano, J. L., Conyne, R. K., Kenny, M., Matthews, C., Schwartz, J. P., & Waldo, M. (2007). Best practice guidelines on prevention practice, research, training, and social advocacy for psychologists. The Counseling Psychologist, 35(4), 493–566. doi.org/10.1177/0011000006291411CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hazzard, V. M., Loth, K. A., Hooper, L., & Becker, C. B. (2020). Food insecurity and eating disorders: A review of emerging evidence. Current Psychiatry Reports, 22(12), 74. doi.org/10.1007/s11920-020-01200-0CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jones, S. C. T., & Neblett, E. W. (2016). Racial–ethnic protective factors and mechanisms in psychosocial prevention and intervention programs for black youth. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 19(2), 134–161. doi.org/10.1007/s10567-016-0201-6CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kenny, M. E., & Hage, S. M. (2009). The next frontier: Prevention as an instrument of social justice. Journal of Primary Prevention, 30, 1–10.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Krishnamurthi, N., Schopfer, D. W., Shen, H., & Whooley, M. A. (2019). Association of mental health conditions with participation in cardiac rehabilitation. Journal of the American Heart Association, 8(11), e011639. doi.org/10.1161/JAHA.118.011639CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lichtenberg, J. W., Hutman, H., & Goodyear, R. K. (2018). Portrait of counseling psychology: Demographics, roles, activities, and values across three decades. The Counseling Psychologist, 46(1), 50–76. doi.org/10.1177/0011000018754532CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Listerman, J., Bittner, V., Sanderson, B. K., & Brown, T. M. (2011). Cardiac rehabilitation outcomes: Impact of comorbidities and age. Journal of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation and Prevention, 31(6), 342–348. doi.org/10.1097/HCR.0b013e31822f189cCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Maciosek, M. V., Coffield, A. B., Flottemesch, T. J., Edwards, N. M., & Solberg, L. I. (2010). Greater use of preventive services in U.S. health care could save lives at little or no cost. Health Affairs (Project Hope), 29(9), 1656–1660. doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2008.070CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mahoney, J. L., Weissberg, R. P., Greenberg, M. T., Dusenbury, L., Jagers, R. J., Niemi, K., Schlinger, M., Schlund, J., Shriver, T. P., VanAusdal, K., & Yoder, N. (2021). Systemic social and emotional learning: Promoting educational success for all preschool to high school students. The American Psychologist, 76(7), 1128–1142. doi.org/10.1037/amp0000701CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Martin, B. J., Hauer, T., Arena, R., Austford, L. D., Galbraith, P. D., Lewin, A. M., Knudtson, M. L., Ghali, W. A., Stone, J. A., & Aggarwal, S. G. (2012). Cardiac rehabilitation attendance and outcomes in coronary artery disease patients. Circulation, 126(6), 677–687. doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.111.066738CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Maslow, G. R., & Chung, R. J. (2013). Systematic review of positive youth development programs for adolescents with chronic illness. Pediatrics, 131(5), e1605–e1618. doi.org/10.1542/peds.2012-1615CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Matthews, C. R. (2003, August). Training for prevention competency in counseling psychology. In M. Kenny (Chair), Competencies for prevention training in counseling psychology. Symposium presented at the 111th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association, Toronto, ON, CanadaCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Matthews, C. R. (2013). Teaching prevention: Preparing the next generation of psychologists. In Vera, E. M. (Ed.), The Oxford handbook of prevention in counseling psychology (pp. 76–90). Oxford University PressGoogle Scholar
Maxwell, S. E., Lau, M. Y., & Howard, G. S. (2015). Is psychology suffering from a replication crisis? What does “failure to replicate” really mean? American Psychologist, 70(6), 487–498. doi.org/10.1037/a0039400CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mental Health America. (n.d.). Prevalence data 2023. www.mhanational.org/issues/2023/mental-health-america-prevalence-data#twoGoogle Scholar
Myers, N.D., Prilleltensky, I., Lee, S., Dietz, S., Prilleltensky, O., McMachon, A., Pfeiffer, K. A., Ellithorpe, M. E., & Brincks, A. M. (2019). Effectiveness of the fun for wellness online behavioral intervention to promote well-being and physical activity: Protocol for a randomized controlled trial. BMC Public Health, 19(1), 737CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nation, M., Crusto, C., Wandersman, A., Kumpfer, K., Seybolt, D., & Morrissey-Kane, E., et al. (2003). What works in prevention: Principles and effective prevention programs. American Psychologist, 58(6–7), 449–456. doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.58.6-7.449CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
National Eating Disorders Association [NEDA] (n.d.). Prevention. www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/learn/general-information/preventionGoogle Scholar
O’Connell, M. E., Boat, T. & Warner, K. E. (2009). Preventing mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders among young people: Progress and possibilities. The National Academies Press.Google Scholar
Office of the Surgeon General (OSG). (2021). Protecting youth mental health: The U.S. surgeon general’s advisory. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.Google Scholar
O’Neil, J. M. & Britner, P.A. (2009) Training primary preventionists to make a difference in people’s lives. In Kenny, M. E., Reese, L. E., Horne, A., & Orpinas, P. (Eds.), Handbook of prevention: Promoting positive development and social justice (pp. 141–162). American Psychological Association Books.Google Scholar
Pintor Reverte, R., Chabbar Boudet, M. C., Valls Lázaro, E., Albarrán Martín, C., Untoria Agustín, C., & Garza Benito, F. (2021). Evaluation of the efficacy of a psychological intervention program in a cardiac rehabilitation unit after acute coronary syndrome. Journal of Healthcare Quality Research, 36(5), 286–293. doi.org/10.1016/j.jhqr.2021.04.001CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Prilleltensky, I. (2008). The role of power in wellness, oppression, and liberation: The promise of psychopolitical validity. Journal of Community Psychology, 36(2), 116–136. doi.org/10.1002/jcop.20225CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reese, L. E., & Vera, E. M. (2007). Culturally relevant prevention: The scientific and practical considerations of community-based programs. The Counseling Psychologist, 35(6), 763–778. doi.org/10.1177%2F0011000007304588CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reinert, M., Fritze, D., & Nguyen, T. (October 2021). The state of mental health in America 2022. Mental Health America. http://hdl.handle.net/10713/17070Google Scholar
Romano, J. R., & Hage, S. M. (2000). Prevention and counseling psychology: Revitalizing commitments for the 21st century. The Counseling Psychologist, 28(6), 733–763. dx.doi.org/10.1177/0011000000286001CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rotheram-Borus, M. J., & Duan, N. (2003). Next generation of preventive interventions. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 42(5), 518–526. doi.org/10.1097/01.CHI.0000046836.90931.E9CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schneider, E. C., Shah, A., Doty, M. M., Tikkanen, R., Fields, K., & Williams II, R. D. (2021). Mirror, mirror 2021: Reflecting poorly. Health care in the U.S. compared to other high-income countries. www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/fund-reports/2021/aug/mirror-mirror-2021-reflecting-poorlyGoogle Scholar
Schnitzer, P. G., Dykstra, H., & Collier, A. (2023). The COVID-19 pandemic and youth suicide: 2020–2021. Pediatrics, e2022058716. Advance online publication. doi.org/10.1542/peds.2022-058716CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Singh, A. (2020). Building a counseling psychology of liberation: The path behind us, under us, and before us. The Counseling Psychologist, 48(8), 1109–1130. doi.org/10.1177/0011000020959007CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stice, E., Becker, C. B., & Yokum, S. (2013). Eating disorder prevention: Current evidence-base and future directions. The International Journal of Eating Disorders, 46(5), 478–485. doi.org/10.1002/eat.22105CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stice, E., Onipede, Z. A., Shaw, H., Rohde, P., & Gau, J. M. (2021). Effectiveness of the Body Project eating disorder prevention program for different racial and ethnic groups and an evaluation of the potential benefits of ethnic matching. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 89(12), 1007–1019. doi.org/10.1037/ccp0000697CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stice, E., Rohde, P., & Shaw, H. (2012). The body project: A dissonance-based eating disorder prevention intervention (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. doi.org/10.1093/med:psych/9780199859245.001.0001Google Scholar
Stice, E., Rohde, P., Shaw, H., & Gau, J. M. (2017). Clinician-led, peer-led, and internet-delivered dissonance-based eating disorder prevention programs: Acute effectiveness of these delivery modalities. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 85(9), 883–895. doi.org/10.1037/ccp0000211CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stringer, H. (2023, January). Worker well-being is in demand as organizational culture shifts. APA Monitor, 54(1), 58. www.apa.org/monitor/2023/01/trends-worker-well-beingGoogle Scholar
Taylor, R. S., Dalal, H. M., & McDonagh, S. T. J. (2022). The role of cardiac rehabilitation in improving cardiovascular outcomes. Nature Reviews Cardiology, 19, 180–194. doi.org/10.1038/s41569-021-00611-7CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tolan, P. H., & Dodge, K. A. (2005). Children’s mental health as a primary care and concern: A system for comprehensive support and service. American Psychologist, 60(6), 601–614. doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.60.6.601CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Volkow, N. (2022, April 28). Investing in prevention makes good financial sense. National Institute on Drug Abuse. https://nida.nih.gov/about-nida/noras-blog/2022/04/investing-in-prevention-makes-good-financial-senseGoogle Scholar
Walsh, M. E., DePaul, J., & Park-Taylor, J. (2009). Prevention as a mechanism for promoting positive development in the context of risk: Addressing the risk and protective factors of our cultures. In Kenny, M., Reese, L. E., Horne, A., & Opinas, P. (Eds.), Realizing social justice: The challenge of preventative interventions (pp. 57–78). American Psychological Association.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Watson, H. J., Yilmaz, Z., Thornton, L. M., Hübel, C., Coleman, J., Gaspar, H. A., Bryois, J., Hinney, A., Leppä, V. M., Mattheisen, M., Medland, S. E., Ripke, S., Yao, S., Giusti-Rodríguez, P., Anorexia Nervosa Genetics Initiative, Hanscombe, K. B., Purves, K. L., Eating Disorders Working Group of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium, Adan, R., … Bulik, C. M. (2019). Genome-wide association study identifies eight risk loci and implicates metabo-psychiatric origins for anorexia nervosa. Nature Genetics, 51(8), 1207–1214. doi.org/10.1038/s41588-019-0439-2CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Weir, K. (2023, January). Psychologists are rebranding the field, expanding the one-to-one therapy approach. APA Monitor, 54(1), 87. www.apa.org/monitor/2023/01/trends-rebranding-psychologyGoogle Scholar
Winnige, P., Vysoky, R., Dosbaba, F., & Batalik, L. (2021). Cardiac rehabilitation and its essential role in the secondary prevention of cardiovascular diseases. World Journal of Clinical Cases, 9(8), 1761–1784.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Zhou, X., Lee, R. M., & Ohm, J. (2021). Evaluating the feasibility of the incredible years attentive parenting program as universal prevention for racially diverse populations. Journal of Prevention and Health Promotion, 2(1), 32–56. doi.org/10.1177/2632077020976401CrossRefGoogle Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×