Collaboration and social inquiry: multiple meanings of a construct and its role in creating useful and valid knowledge

Implementation research in mental health services: an emerging science with conceptual, methodological, and training challenges

One of the most critical issues in mental health services research is the gap between what is known about effective treatment and what is provided to consumers in routine care. Concerted efforts are required to advance implementation science and produce skilled implementation researchers. This paper seeks to advance implementation science in mental health services by over viewing the emergence of implementation as an issue for research, by addressing key issues of language and conceptualization, by presenting a heuristic skeleton model for the study of implementation processes, and by identifying the implications for research and training in this emerging field.

Implementation research in mental health services: an emerging science with conceptual, methodological, and training challenges

One of the most critical issues in mental health services research is the gap between what is known about effective treatment and what is provided to consumers in routine care. Concerted efforts are required to advance implementation science and produce skilled implementation researchers. This paper seeks to advance implementation science in mental health services by over viewing the emergence of implementation as an issue for research, by addressing key issues of language and conceptualization, by presenting a heuristic skeleton model for the study of implementation processes, and by identifying the implications for research and training in this emerging field.

The spirit of ecological inquiry and intervention research reports: a heuristic elaboration

One distinctive approach to community psychology intervention research involves finding ways to contribute to the development of communities. Ecological inquiry is a primary theoretical framework for this work. The purpose of this paper is to explore how the spirit of ecological inquiry may be expressed in the descriptions of how we design, conduct, and evaluate community interventions. We first elaborate a set of criteria as a heuristic framework for carrying out and documenting community intervention writing, theory, and action. We then pilot the application of these criteria to explore the presence of an ecological emphasis within intervention studies published in the AJCP between 1994 and 2002. This exercise helped illuminate the extent to which an ecological perspective is reflected in intervention accounts, and select intervention accounts that reflect a substantial ecological emphasis are described. Further, this review highlights the areas of our written work which contain fewer makers of ecological inquiry, as with the relevant exclusion of citizens in formative intervention roles. We conclude with a series of reflections about constraints on published intervention accounts and recommendations for those interested in furthering the spirit of ecological inquiry through their research and action commitments to community development.

STAYING AT THE TABLE: BUILDING SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY-RESEARCH PARTNERSHIPS

In this study, the authors identify three guiding principles or relational strategies for developing successful community partnerships and building an alliance for systemic change. These principles were derived from their work over 4 years with an urban public school system, which was focused on generating a series of interventions for improving the behavioral and academic functioning of immigrant students. In their process, they developed an analysis and monitoring system of students' progress, which allowed for earlier targeted effective support.

Developing a comprehensive approach to youth violence prevention in a small city

A Center for Academic Excellence in Youth Violence Prevention was established in 1999 at Virginia Commonwealth University, in the small city of Richmond, Virginia. The social context of Richmond provides many challenges and assets for preventing youth violence, including high levels of youth exposure to violence and exemplary role models for resiliency. In this paper, the conceptual framework used to guide Center activities is explained first, followed by an accounting of the initial activities for developing a community mobilization process. Next, examples are presented of how the core theme of "Strengthening the Voices of Stakeholders" was implemented at the levels of grassroots/taxpayer, organizations, and systems/policy. A university policy strategy for involving more sectors of the University in community partnerships to prevent youth violence and promote positive early childhood development is then described. The paper closes with an assessment of the mobilization efforts to date and a sketch of new plans for the future.

Research partnerships with schools to implement prevention programs for Mexican origin families

We describe critical participatory principles and practices used in a successful multiyear partnership between university researchers and a public elementary school district to implement an efficacy trial of the Puentes program, a family-based program to prevent school disengagement and mental health problems in Mexican origin seventh graders. We highlight the role of the School Advisory Board (SAB) as the principle structure facilitating the collaboration and the expansion of roles and power sharing that evolved over the course of the project. We also present the results of a focus group conducted to evaluate the school district's perspective on the partnership. We end by sharing conclusions regarding the critical aspects of the partnership. EDITORS' STRATEGIC IMPLICATIONS: Researchers and educators alike will benefit from the lessons on how to work together toward effective and sustainable prevention programming.

The Center for Alaska Native Health Research Study: a community-based participatory research study of obesity and chronic disease-related protective and risk factors

OBJECTIVES

To describe the background, approach and general results of the Center for Alaska Native Health Research (CANHR) study.

STUDY DESIGN

This was a cross-sectional Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) study with one tribal group to assess risk and protection for obesity and the risk factors related to chronic disease, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

METHODS

A combination of biological, genetic, nutritional and psychosocial measurements were taken on 922 Alaska Native participants in ten communities in Southwestern Alaska. The paper reports on data from 753 adult participants.

RESULTS

The prevalence of type 2 diabetes is 3.3% in the sample population. Metabolic syndrome is significantly lower among the males and equal for females when compared with Caucasians in the NHANES III sample. Obesity among adults is now at the national average. Risk factors for chronic disease include a shift to a Westernized diet, stress, obesity and impaired fasting glucose and protective factors include high levels of polyunsaturated fatty acid dietary intake. Articles in this issue present specific results in these areas.

CONCLUSIONS

The data strongly indicate that, in general, Yup'ik people in our study are metabolically healthy and that diet and life style provide a delicate combination of protective and risk factors. The results strongly indicate that solution focused research utilizing primary and secondary prevention strategies may provide evidence for how to intervene to prevent further increases of chronic diseases. Research that focuses on relating the intrinsic strengths of indigenous worldviews and practices with basic research may contribute to positive transformations in community health.

Research-practice partnership in mental health: lessons from participants

Despite pervasive calls for increased collaboration between researchers and practitioners, there has been limited research on research-practice partnership in mental health. This qualitative study describes one research-practice partnership that supports a study of community-based psychotherapy for children and families. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with all 12 participants (six Researchers and six Practitioners) to elicit perceptions of the collaborative process, including (a) attitudes and experiences entering into the collaboration, (b) perceived challenges and benefits, and (c) suggestions for improvements in future efforts. The findings reinforce the central role of communication and trust-building in developing effective collaborations and exchanging knowledge.