CoChat
Sign Up
Cited by 963Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional DevelopmentSchool Health and Nursing EducationChild Therapy and Development

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 201 of the 201 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Primary prevention mental health programs for children and adolescents: A meta-analytic review

Durlak, Joseph A., Wells, Anne M.·1997·American Journal of Community Psychology
DOI 10.1023/a:1024654026646
Open this paper in CoChat — free account

Abstract

Used meta-analysis to review 177 primary prevention programs designed to prevent behavioral and social problems in children and adolescents. Findings provide empirical support for further research and practice in primary prevention. Most categories of programs produced outcomes similar to or higher in magnitude than those obtained by many other established preventive and treatment interventions in the social sciences and medicine. Programs modifying the school environment, individually focused mental health promotion efforts, and attempts to help children negotiate stressful transitions yield significant mean effects ranging from 0.24 to 0.93. In practical terms, the average participant in a primary prevention program surpasses the performance of between 59% to 82% of those in a control group, and outcomes reflect an 8% to 46% difference in success rates favoring prevention groups. Most categories of programs had the dual benefit of significantly reducing problems and significantly increasing competencies. Priorities for future research include clearer specification of intervention procedures and program goals, assessment of program implementation, more follow-up studies, and determining how characteristics of the intervention and participants relate to different outcomes.

Overview

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1023/a:1024654026646

Cites

201 of 201 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Recomputing p-values needs the paper’s full text.

Verification

Claims the paper makes

This paper’s full text isn’t openly available, so its claims and self-check weren’t run. The registry and citation checks still apply.

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

Citations

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

Show all 194 references

Research works printed but not linked: 34

  1. Allwhite A. G. (1975). A comparison of fourth grade students who have participated in a modified DUSO D-2 classroom guidance program and those who have not.Dissertation Abstracts International 36(2-A) 1297–1298A. (University Microfilms No. 75-20 678).
  2. Appollo J. P. (1978). The effects of mental health programming on the emotional adjustment of rural elementary school children (Doctoral dissertation North Carolina State University at Raleigh 1978).Dissertation Abstracts International 39(5-B) 2885B.
  3. Bishop I. H. (1977). Comparative effects of cognitive and affective group counseling on self-esteem of second grade children.Dissertation Abstracts International 38(7-A) 3948A. (University Microfilms 77-28 036)
  4. Cowen E. L., 1986, A decade of progress in primary prevention, 3
  5. Croake J. W., 1976, parent study group effectiveness after four and after six weeks, Journal of Individual Psychology, 32, 108
  6. Duke D. B. (1982). The effects of refaxation training and cognitive behavior modification on locus of control and field independence-dependence (Doctoral dissertation California School of Professional Psychology 1982).Dissertation Abstracts International 43(4-B) 1250.
  7. Factor D. C., 1983, Social skill training of preschool children, Child Study Journal, 13, 41
  8. Fink A. M. (1973). Application of social learning principles to a high school psychology of adjustment curriculum: Effects of extra-classroom behavior (Doctoral dissertation University of Minnesota 1973).Dissertation Abstracts International 34(5-B) 2302.
  9. Gillispie L. A. (1985). The effects of two counseling models values clarification and cognitive behavior modification on reading improvement and self-concept (Doctoral dissertation University of the Pacific 1983).Dissertation Abstracts International 45(8-A) 2396A.
  10. Goslin E. R. (1979). The effect of crisis intervention therapy in reducing anxiety in emergency hospitalization of preschool children (Doctoral dissertation Florida State University 1979).Dissertation Abstracts International 40(7-B) 3394–3395B.
  11. Graybill D., 1981, Evaluation and comparison of reflective and behavioral groups counseling for parents, Journal of Counseling Psychology, 4, 19
  12. Jackson J. L., 1982, A comparison of cognitive self-instruction training and externally administered instructions in preschool children, Child Study Journal, 12, 7
  13. Jensen J. L. (1978). Eliminating self-defeating behavior group counseling: Its effects on self-concept and locus of control of economically disadvantaged high school students (Doctoral dissertation Brigham Young University 1978).Dissertation Abstracts International 39 3375B.
  14. Kagey J. R. (1972). The adjustment of fourth grade children: A primary prevention approach in behavioral education.Dissertation Abstracts International 32(12-B) 7311–7312. (Xeron University Microfilms No. 72-17 773).
  15. Kessler M., 1986, A decade of progress in primary prevention
  16. Korsh N. B. (1977). Effects of interventions designed to improve cooperative social interaction and performance in small groups of third grade students in the open classroom.Dissertation Abstracts International 37(10-B) 5438. (Xerox University Microfilms No. 77-6526)
  17. Lamia M. C. (1977). A preventive and treatment program for adolescents: Psychological education (Doctoral dissertation California School of Professional Psychology-San Francisco 1977).Dissertation Abstracts International 38(4-b) 1888.
  18. Liebroder B. T. (1976). Evaluation of an elementary guidance program (Doctoral dissertation University of Utah 1976).Dissertation Abstracts International 37(6-A) 3422A.
  19. Mink E. B. (1979). The effectiveness of a group intervention based on transactional analysis in modifying locus of control expectancy of high school students.Dissertation Abstracts International 40(4-A) 1968. (University Microfilms International No. 7921522)
  20. Moates H. L. (1969). The effects of activity group counseling on the self-concept peer acceptance and grade point average of disadvantaged seventh grade negro boys and girls (Doctoral dissertation Auburn University 1969).Dissertation Abstracts International 30(9-A) 3795.
  21. Niskey J. E. (1976). The effects of the implementation of a schools without failure program on the self-concepts and self-esteem of elementary school children (Doctoral dissertation Ohio University 1976).Dissertation Abstracts International 37(6-A) 3424A.
  22. Oldfield D., 1986, Increasing student “on-task” behaviors through relaxation strategies, Elementary School Guidance and Counseling, 20, 180
  23. Patterson J. H. (1980). Sociodramatic play as a technique for increasing young children's generation of potential strategies for solving interpersonal problems (Doctoral dissertation University of Wisconsin-Madison 1979).Dissertation Abstracts International 40(8-A) 4397.
  24. Prescott-Jackson A. (1982). The effects of selected values clarification activities on the self-concept and reading achievement of black rural fourth-and fifth-grade students (Doctoral dissertation Mississippi State University 1982).Dissertation Abstracts International 43(7-A) 2269.
  25. Price R. H., 1986, A decade of progress in primary prevention, 289
  26. Rideout T. M. (1980). A comparison of individual biofeedback training and group relaxation/imagery tapes on self-concept level of muscle training and group relaxation/imagery tapes on self-concept levels of muscle tension and classroom behavior of fifth-grade students.Dissertation Abstracts International 41(4-A) 1410A. (University Microfilms International No. 8021833)
  27. Ridley C. A., 1982, Developing empathic skills: A model for preschool children, Child Study Journal, 12, 89
  28. Schultz C. L., 1980, Mother-child interaction behavior as an outcome of theoretical models of parent group education, Journal of Individual Psychology, 36, 3
  29. Sirbu W., 1978, Primary prevention: Teaching parents behavioral child rearing skills, Family Therapy, 5, 163
  30. Slavin R. E., 1994, Preventing early school failure
  31. Sloan V. J., 1984, A comparison of orientation methods for elementary school transfer students, Child Study Journal, 14, 47
  32. Stahl R. A. (1978). The effects of classroom group guidance programs on social-emotional concepts and locus of control (Doctoral dissertation Ohio University 1977).Dissertation Abstracts International 38(12-A) 7159–7160A.
  33. Taylor D. R. (1978). The effects of a classroom self-awareness program on self-concept and motivation toward school (Doctoral dissertation University of Tennessee 1978).Dissertation Abstracts International 39(3-A) 1352A.
  34. Terry D. (1976). The effects of the implementation of the DUSO kit on the self concept and school achievement of third grade students (Doctoral dissertation University of South Carolina 1976).Dissertation Abstracts International 37(4-A) 2088.

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Items 901–960 of 960

Related

See all

Metadata

Authors
Durlak, J. A., & Wells, A. M.
Affiliations
Loyola University Chicago (US)
ORCID
Durlak, Joseph A.
Venue
American Journal of Community Psychology
Publisher
Wiley
Published
1997-04
Volume
25
Issue
2
Pages
115-152
ISSN
  • 0091-0562 (ISSN-L)
  • 1573-2770
DOI
10.1023/a:1024654026646
OpenAlex
W2140854225
Cited by
963
References
194
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 15 · 2023: 16 · 2022: 20 · 2021: 16 · 2020: 27 · 2019: 17 · 2018: 30 · 2017: 27 · 2016: 36 · 2015: 55 · 2014: 48 · 2013: 41 · 2012: 53
FWCI
8.73
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor (vor)
Locations
  • American Journal of Community Psychology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › School Health and Nursing Education
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child Therapy and Development
Keywords
primary prevention, mental health programs, children, adolescents, behavioral problems, social problems, school environment, mental health promotion, intervention effectiveness, program implementation
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Child, Child Behavior Disorders, Child Health Services, Child, Preschool, Humans, Mental Health Services, Primary Prevention, Research Design, Social Problems, Adolescent Health Services, Treatment Outcome

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review