Part 1: Descriptive epidemiology and risk and protective factors
For this part of the assignment, you will be asked to select the mental health issue and target population for your paper and to write approximately 2 pages about the epidemiology of the problem and its key risk and protective factors.
Part 2: An intervention to prevent the problem in your target population
a. Intervention description. Specify whether you have selected a universal, selective, or indicated intervention and why this level of prevention was chosen. If the intervention you select has been delivered in both a universal and targeted fashion, it probably makes the most sense to focus on only one of these levels given the paper’s length (please discuss with the instructor). Summarize how the intervention is implemented (e.g., individually, in groups, via the internet), its duration and frequency, who delivers the intervention, and how intervention facilitators are trained and supervised.
b. Intervention theory of change. Describe the intervention theory of change, including the hypothesized “active ingredients” or core intervention components. Describe which risk or protective factors these core components are anticipated to impact and how the intervention is expected to improve outcomes and prevent the mental health problem. If the literature is not clear on any of these points, say so, and propose your own ideas.
c. Conceptual model. Create a figure displaying the conceptual model for the intervention – including the intervention core components, mediating mechanisms, and outcomes, as well as hypothesized mediators if relevant. Cite the source(s) from which you derived the conceptual model. If no conceptual model for the intervention is displayed or described in the literature, say so, and propose your own model based on the existing evidence.
d. Research on intervention feasibility and efficacy.
Describe how large the body of research on the intervention is, including how many randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have been conducted, whether the intervention has been tested against an active control condition, what kinds of measures have been used to assess outcomes, and the length of follow-up assessments (if any). If there is a large body of research on the program, you may provide a more general overview, focusing on the most detail on the most rigorous trials. Consider whether efficacy and/or effectiveness trials have been conducted and what the outcomes were. Explain whether the fidelity of intervention implementation has been monitored and whether the intervention has been implemented with fidelity.
Part 3: Gaps in knowledge and useful next steps for the field
The final section of the paper (approximately 2-3 pages) should describe gaps and limitations in the research that has been conducted on the intervention so far. Consider the strength of the evidence so far for intervention benefits with your target population. Consider also how well the evidence supports the conceptual model. Suggest study designs, control conditions, measures, or follow-ups that would strengthen the evidence base.
If you do not feel that core components or mechanisms of action for the intervention have been adequately specified or tested, this is also an area to suggest for future work.
You can also discuss whether you feel that prevention strategies need to target additional risk/protective factors or intervene at additional level(s) of the social ecology in order to impact the mental health issue for the target population. What sort of research might this require?
Is more research on the mental health issue in the target population to inform effective prevention programming – and, if so, what sort of research?
