On the Semantics and Operations of Primary Prevention and Wellness Enhancement (Or Will the Real Primary Prevention Please Stand Up?)

Compared two recent, major reviews of primary prevention program evaluation research (i.e., Durlak and Wells' meta‐analysis of 177 such studies and the Institute of Medicine (IOM) Report's summary of research studies of preventive intervention programs) with respect to specific studies inc...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:American journal of community psychology 1997-06, Vol.25 (3), p.245-255
Main Author: Cowen, Emory L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biological and medical sciences
Community psychology
Definitions
Medical sciences
Mental health
Mental Illness
Meta-analysis
Prevention
Prevention. Health policy. Planification
Preventive health care
Preventive medicine
Primary Health Care
primary prevention
Program Evaluation
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Semantics
Social psychiatry. Ethnopsychiatry
Well Being
wellness enhancement
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Summary:Compared two recent, major reviews of primary prevention program evaluation research (i.e., Durlak and Wells' meta‐analysis of 177 such studies and the Institute of Medicine (IOM) Report's summary of research studies of preventive intervention programs) with respect to specific studies included and input sources used. Whereas the IOM Report defined the goal of primary prevention as reducing the occurrence of new cases of mental disorder, Durlak and Wells' broader definition included both that goal and the promotion of psychological wellness. Overlap in journal sources used by the two reviews was modest and overlap in the actual primary prevention program evaluation studies included was minimal (≅7%). These findings bespeak somewhat different views of primary prevention and suggest a need for the complementary development of both the above approaches as alternatives, individually and collectively, to mental health's past established restorative ways.
ISSN:0091-0562
1573-2770
DOI:10.1023/A:1024615809208