MICHIGAN PREVENTION RESEARCH CENTER

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The Michigan Prevention Research Center (MPRC) proposes to continue its program of preventive intervention research on work, economic stress, and mental health in individuals and families throughout the life span. To do so, MPRC will establish collaborative relationships, drawing MPRC investigators from multiple disciplines, and continuing its strategies for community outreach and collaboration. In order to achieve these broad goals, we propose to pursue the following specific aims in the next period of MPRC support. (1) To develop an MPRC Core program for Research Planning, Mentoring and Center Administration for all MPRC research activities. This integrated Core will be governed by an MPRC Administrative Board and will use as its primary mechanism of operation a set of collaborative research planning workshops designed to bring MPRC researchers and trainees together with external experts to advance specific research agendas within the MPRC structure, resulting ultimately in fully developed research proposals. (2) To maintain and enhance a Methodology Core within the MPRC structure drawing on the resources of the Survey Research Center in the Institute for Social Research as well as other collaborating research organizations. The Methodology Core will provide a central resource for the maintenance of samples, the development of new measurement techniques, data management, research design and analysis techniques, and will also carry out a series of special methodological studies designed, not only to contribute to the MPRC research programs, but more broadly to the field of prevention research and mental health. (3) To develop and maintain an Intervention Core that will serve as a key setting for the development of new preventive interventions directed at vulnerable populations that hold promise for preventive trials. The Intervention Core will serve a critical function, not only developing new preventive interventions, but also as a continuing repository for theory- driven principles and practices for the design of preventive interventions. The Intervention Core, in collaboration with other Core functions, will also conduct a program of methodological research to advance the now substantially underdeveloped field of intervention design and development. (4) To develop an Implementation Core capability to support a program of research aimed at better understanding the critical factors in organizational service systems that increase their readiness to adopt preventive interventions. In addition to studies of organizational readiness, this Implementation Research Program will be directed at a second programmatic focus on the nature and effect of adaptations of prevention programs on program effectiveness.