Prevention: The Science and Art of Promoting Healthy Child and Adolescent Development

Solving problems before they become a national crisis benefits entire at-risk populations and saves time, money, and resources. Effective prevention programs can make these benefits a reality — and with this landmark book from foremost authority John Borkowski, professionals will see what types of prevention efforts really work. The first and only synthesis of prevention research and methodology, this timely volume examines programs targeting eight of today's most pressing problems that affect infants, children, and youth, including:

• infancy and early development
• child maltreatment
• youth violence
• childhood developmental delays
• substance abuse
• risky sexual behavior
• dating violence
• marital conflict and divorce

Researchers, students, administrators, and policymakers will

• closely examine each prevention project, including its structure, scope, target population, methodology, and results
• consider the characteristics of successful prevention programs
• clarify the challenges that future efforts still need to address
• envision model prevention programs for each of the eight problems

Through these thorough, multifaceted explorations of successful programs, readers will see the interplay between the science of research and the art of practice — and appreciate the profound difference prevention efforts can make in the lives of children and families. Based on over a decade of research and best practices, this is an invaluable resource for anyone who has a part in shaping the future of intervention and prevention programs.

John G. Borkowski is Andrew J. McKenna Family Chair of Psychology at the University of Notre Dame.

Professor Borkowski is recipient of the Career Research Scientist Award from the Academy on Mental Retardation, the Edgar Doll Award from the American Psychological Association, and Notre Dame's Faculty and Research Achievement Awards. He is currently engaged in two multisite longitudinal projects designed to understand and reduce the incidence of child abuse and neglect in at-risk mothers. A third major longitudinal project undertaken by Professor Borkowski has followed children born to adolescent mothers in the late 1980s as they enter their turbulent teenage years. His research programs on adolescent parenting and child neglect are supported by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Professor Borkowski has published more than 150 research papers and chapters and is the co-author of six psychology texts, including Interwoven Lives: Adolescent Mothers and Their Children (Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2001) and Parenting and the Child's World (Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2002).

Chelsea M. Weaver, M.A., M.Ed. is Research Associate in the Department of Psychology at the University of Notre Dame.

Ms. Weaver is a doctoral candidate in developmental psychology at the University of Notre Dame. She received an M.A. in developmental psychology from Notre Dame and an M.Ed. in early intervention from the University of Pittsburgh. Her research has focused on the effects of exposure to violence on the development of delinquency and violent behaviors among children of adolescent mothers, as well as on the risk and protective factors that serve to mitigate or exacerbate these relationships. Ms. Weaver is interested in the effects of parenting and family dynamics on infant development and adjustment during early childhood with a specific focus on the suitability of using latent growth mixture modeling to approach research from a developmental psychopathology perspective. She also is currently a project director at the University of Pittsburgh for a multisite, family-based early intervention program designed to promote positive adjustment among high-risk children and their families.