Community interventions and effective prevention

Am Psychol. 2003 Jun-Jul;58(6-7):441-8. doi: 10.1037/0003-066x.58.6-7.441.

Abstract

The prevalence of pregnancy, substance abuse, violence, and delinquency among young people is unacceptably high. Interventions for preventing problems in large numbers of youth require more than individual psychological interventions. Successful interventions include the involvement of prevention practitioners and community residents in community-level interventions. The potential of community-level interventions is illustrated by a number of successful studies. However, more inclusive reviews and multisite comparisons show that although there have been successes, many interventions did not demonstrate results. The road to greater success includes prevention science and newer community-centered models of accountability and technical assistance systems for prevention.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Child
  • Community Mental Health Services / trends*
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Female
  • Health Services Needs and Demand / trends
  • Humans
  • Juvenile Delinquency / prevention & control*
  • Juvenile Delinquency / statistics & numerical data
  • Male
  • Pregnancy
  • Pregnancy in Adolescence / prevention & control*
  • Pregnancy in Adolescence / statistics & numerical data
  • Preventive Health Services / trends*
  • Risk Factors
  • Substance-Related Disorders / epidemiology
  • Substance-Related Disorders / prevention & control*
  • United States
  • Violence / prevention & control*
  • Violence / statistics & numerical data