Community and school violence and risk reduction: Empirically supported prevention.

The development, implementation, and research of two separate psychoeducational group programs are described. One of the programs, Project FREE (Family Rejuvenation, Education and Empowerment; developed by Paula T. McWhirter and her colleagues) focuses on mothers who have suffered domestic violence and their children as witnesses. The project includes parallel psychoeducational group sessions with battered mothers and a simultaneous psychoeducational group session with the children followed by a conjoint session with both mothers and children. The pilot and the initial studies were conducted in a clinic/hospital setting and later studies in temporary domestic homeless shelters. The second program, GOPEP (Group Oriented Psychoeducation Prevention; developed by J. Jeffries McWhirter and his colleagues) includes four separate school based interventions designed to reduce anger, diminish depression, reduce anxiety, and build positive peer and adult relationships. Each program includes 15 1-hr sessions for classroom group or as a pullout group program. Both Project FREE and GOPEP utilized group process to reduce future problems and to promote well-being and positive mental health. Following program description and implementation, research process and group program efficacy are presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)

This article describes an evidence-based preventive group intervention, Incredible Years Parent Training Program (IY). Decades of research have shown that IY strengthens parent and child competencies and in turn reduces child risks for developing conduct problems and other negative life outcomes. The purpose of this article is to examine IY through a resilience lens and highlight how it capitalizes on group process mechanisms to serve as a model preventive group intervention. Future directions and implications for research, practice, and training are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)

Family dysfunction is unacceptably high nationally and internationally with high costs to society in adolescent problems. A number of evidence-based (EB) parenting and family interventions have been proven in research to improve children’s outcome. The question remains whether these EB family programs are as effective in practice. This article summarizes research outcomes from a quasi-experimental, 5-year statewide study of the 14-session Strengthening Families Program (SFP) with over 1,600 high-risk families. The study compared outcomes including effect sizes for the four different age versions of SFP (SFP 3–5, 6–11, 10–14, and 12–16 years). Quality assurance and program fidelity were enhanced by standardized training workshops, site visits by evaluators, and online supervision. Outcomes were measured using the SFP Parent Retrospective testing battery containing self-report standardized clinical measures of 18 parent, family, and child outcomes. The 2 repeated measures by 4 group ANOVA compared the four different age versions of SFP. All of the outcome variables for the four programs were statistically significant at less than the p d = .77 for SFP 6−11 years to effect size of d = .67 for SFP 3–5 and 10–14. The largest effect sizes were for improvements for the SFP 6–11 condition in Family Communication and Family Strengths and Resilience (d = .76 for both), Family Organization (d = .75), Parental Supervision (d = .73), Parenting Efficacy (d = .70), and Positive Parenting (d = .67). Parental alcohol and drug use was reduced most in the SFP 12–16 year version (d = .43). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)

This article provides a context for this special journal issue devoted to the topic of evidence-based prevention groups. To begin, a history of the field of prevention is presented. Second, the authors highlight how prevention groups have evolved as part of the broader history of prevention. Finally, the authors discuss the implications of the history of prevention and prevention groups for future research and practice in the field of group work. The overall goal of this article is to provide a base of knowledge that practitioners and researchers may utilize to expand and advance the field of prevention group practice and research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)

This introductory article by the editors summarizes the intent, content, and procedures of the special issue and makes a supportive case for the future of effective prevention groups that draws from the pioneer research contained within it. Researchers are summoned to prioritize prevention groups as an important and viable focal area, journals are encouraged to welcome research of this topic (without altering acceptance criteria), concurrence about definitions of key processes and concepts (i.e., how to define prevention groups) is urged, and others are encouraged to draw lessons from the research of the authors contained in the special issue. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)

Objective: This study investigated trajectories of psychological distress and their relationships with change in psychosocial resources in the year following cancer diagnosis. Design: Chinese colorectal cancer (CRC) patients (n = 234) were assessed within 12 weeks of diagnosis (T1) and again at 3-month (T2) and 12-month (T3) follow-ups. Growth mixture modeling was used to analyze the longitudinal data. Main Outcome Measures: Psychological distress was measured at the three time-points using Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Results: Growth mixture models identified four classes: chronic distress (7–9%), delayed distress (10–13%), recovery (13–16%), and resilient (65–67%). People in chronic distress were more likely to demonstrate loss in physical functioning and social relational quality than those in delayed distress, and loss in physical functioning, optimism, and hope than those in recovery, but more likely to demonstrate stability/gain in optimistic personalities than those in delayed distress and resilient. People in resilient were more likely to report stability/gain in optimistic personalities than those in delayed distress but not those in recovery. Conclusion: Understanding differential outcome trajectories and associated change in coping resources has implications for developing ongoing psychological services for cancer patients during the diagnosis and treatment process. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)