Influence of key social relationships on behaviors and prevention processes and outcomes. Critical social relationships which affect both risk behaviors and engagement in prevention efforts across the lifespan include (but are not limited to) parent with parent/partner, mother with child, father with child, child with carer/teacher, individual with health professional, peer relationships and romantic relationships. The ways in which relationship dynamics may affect behaviors such as domestic violence and parenting are of particular interest, including gender dynamics.

Influence of relationships relevant to the development, implementation, and dissemination of prevention programs. All phases of the prevention cycle involve establishing multiple productive working relationships with granting agencies, key community stakeholders (e.g., leaders of cultural and ethnic communities, school district leaders), those who work in the setting in which the intervention will take place (e.g., health system and prison system staff), those who will participate (e.g., families, youth), and policy agencies. Issues involved in the infrastructure of working relationships that are key to moving the field of prevention science forward are of particular interest.

Lifespan--The 2009 conference invites special attention to development and prevention across the lifespan, as well as long-term outcomes of developmental factors and preventive interventions, and intergenerational risk and prevention. Developing a better understanding of interventions to prevent problem behaviors across the lifespan and the mechanisms of such preventive interventions, as well as gaining better insight into lifespan and intergenerational processes would be of substantial value for the field.

Advances across the Stages of the Prevention Research Cycle

Epidemiology
Basic behavioral science and epidemiology remain the basis of strong intervention and prevention programs.
Special Interest Areas:
• Issues related to lifespan and intergenerational associations.

Etiology
Etiological research efforts generate knowledge that contributes to the development of future preventive efforts.
Special Interest Areas:
• Biological and psychosocial perspectives on behavior problems and healthy development across the lifespan and generations.
• The influence of relationships on etiology.

Efficacy Trials
Efficacy trials demonstrate the “proof of concept” with a specified population under conditions of high quality assurance and strong research designs (typically randomized controlled designs).
Special Interest Areas:
• Promoting healthy development and mental health across the lifespan and generations.
• Obesity prevention,
• Efficacy trials focused on influencing relationships (e.g. peer relationships), or behavior through relationship factors (e.g., coparenting), as well as lifespan (e.g. desistance of problem behavior in adulthood, employment success) and intergenerational issues (e.g., trials influencing both risk behaviors of teen parents and the offspring).

Effectiveness Trials
Effectiveness trials involve replicating an efficacious intervention under real world conditions in community settings.
Special Interest Areas:
• Implementation of programs that have been shown to promote healthy development and mental health and reach those at greatest risk across the lifespan, and at risk for intergenerational transmission.
• Programs that reach beyond the school years and settings to influence health promotion and also desistance of problem behaviors in adulthood.

Dissemination
Dissemination research identifies strategies for taking interventions to scale and identifies potential barriers to dissemination.
Special Interest Areas:
• Examples of effective translational research—especially evidence based programs that focus on lifespan effects and intergenerational transmission
• Examples of effective strategies for the advocacy and promotion of evidence-based programs and policies at the federal, state and local levels.

Innovative Methods
“Cutting edge” studies and methodological analyses that address measurement, statistical, methodological and practical challenges to prevention science, as well as the benefits offered by various innovative methods are invited.
Special Interest Areas:
• Innovative methods for the collection and analysis of data from developmental studies.
• Analysis of multi-level data from community studies.
• Analysis of data across systems (e.g., biological and psychological)

Back to Top