Intervention Development

The Intervention Core is designed to develop new MPRC preventive interventions and to be a continuing epository for theory driven principles and practices for the design of preventive interventions.  The Intervention Core serves as a critical link with other core functions since the research planning and mentoring activities and methodological studies inform research in the Intervention Core.

Preventive Interventions for Couples Coping with Job Loss
This collaborative research project (R10) is the next step in a coordinated program of research on the prevention of emotional and behavioral disorders in individuals and families experiencing job loss.  The present project fills a significant gap in the scientific literature by developing a preventive intervention for couples experiencing job loss.  Major objectives for the coming year include completing intervention protocols jointly at both the GW and UM sites, pilot testing protocols in their entirety in both sites, finalizing the recruitment and measurement protocols, training of trainers, and beginning the trials in both GW and UM sites.

Preventive Intervention for Coping with Economic Hardship
Economic hardship is a key mediator of the relationship between job loss and depression (Vinokur, Price & Caplan, 1996; Kessler, Turner & House, 1988).  During this year, we have been engaged in designing and pilot testing a preventive intervention for unemployed workers to address the financial pressures and strains that are documented to be the main contributors to depression. The information gathered from various assessments will be used to design the financial planning intervention seminar as well as the pre- and post-test measures to evaluate the intervention in a future randomized field study.

Development of a Preventive Intervention for the School to Work Transition
The transition from school to work may be a key turning point in the life course leading to negative developmental and mental health outcomes.  Daphna Oyserman has conducted research activities aimed at refining her theoretical model and developing an intervention-ready operationalization of key constructs for intervention development.

Pilot Research on Intervention to Aid in the Transition from Welfare-to-Work
Preventive interventions may aid to more effective transitions from welfare to work and reduce the risk of negative mental health outcomes.  A multidisciplinary group of researchers from social work, psychology, economics, public policy, political science and other backgrounds, including both predoctoral and postdoctoral students and faculty have begun conducting pilot research to develop a proposal for a preventive intervention for the transition from welfare to work.