The Community/Prevention Area of Emphasis

Information on our Prevention Center can be found at http://prc.asu.edu

 We define the Community/Preventive area of emphasis to include theory, research methods, and interventions that are designed to prevent the occurrence of mental health, substance use or other problems, and to promote healthy adaptation in a range of social environments. Students study theoretical issues such as the influence of stress and coping, family processes, acculturation and cross-cultural issues, neighborhood influences, and economic hardship on the development of mental health or substance abuse problems. Students also become involved in the development, implementation, as well as the short- and longer-term evaluation of preventive interventions to promote healthy adaptation for children in a range of high-risk situations. Foci of preventive interventions include children of divorce, inner-city ethnic minority children, bereaved children, and school-based programs.

 Some features of particular strength of the Community/Prevention area at ASU include: (1) Students have the opportunity to be involved in the development, implementation, and evaluation of preventive interventions in close collaboration with the faculty; (2) Our program emphasizes a close integration between theory, intervention development and evaluation, and methodology; (3) Students have the opportunity for involvement with our Preventive Research Center which focuses on the study of child and family adaptation to high-stress situations such as divorce, bereavement, and acculturation; and the development, implementation, and evaluation of preventive interventions; (4) Students also benefit from our Research Training Grant in Prevention/Child Mental Health which provides some stipends for more advanced students who emphasize Prevention/Community.

A Sample of Current Projects

Dr. Will Corbin conducts research on alcohol use and abuse during late adolescence and emerging adulthood. His program of research includes prevention studies designed to reduce alcohol related harms among college students and other young adult populations. Dr. Corbin is currently an investigator on two NIAAA funded projects that support his work.

Dr. Nancy Gonzales is the Principal Investigator of Bridges to High School/Puentes a La Secundaria. “Bridges” is a multi-cohort, experimental field trial of a culturally competent intervention to prevent school dropout and mental health disorders for low-income Mexican American adolescents.

Dr. Irwin Sandler directs the Family Bereavement Program Follow-up. The project is a federally funded NIMH (R01 MH49155) six year follow-up of 244 adolescents/young adults and their caregivers who participated in an experimental evaluation of a preventive intervention program for families who have experienced parental death.

Dr. Sharlene Wolchik is the Principal Investigator of the New Beginnings Program Fifteen-Year Follow-up. This grant supports a follow-up of the effects of the two preventive interventions for children from divorced families, a mother program and a dual-component program that includes separate groups for mothers and children, relative to the literature control condition. A wide range of outcomes are assessed, including mental  health problems and disorders,  substance use disorders and problems,  physical health outcomes,  and accomplishment of key young adult developmental tasks and competencies.