Journal of Primary Prevention, 8(3), Spring 1988
Viewpoint: Negative Results: Any Applied Value? J O H N R. MORGAN Ph.D. For practitioners seeking applied research findings to guide their work, the recent issue of Journal of Primary Prevention (Volume 7, No. 2, Winter, 1986) may have been a disappointment. Negative results were prominent, and we all know that negative results are hard to publish, difficult to build programs (or careers) on, and just plain disappointing. For example, the Rooney-Rebeck and Jason article, "Preventing Prejudice in Elementary School Students." A peer tutoring intervention increased interethnic associations in 1st graders but not in 3rd graders. Academic measures showed no advantage for participants vs. controls. Classroom adjustment measures showed controls improved more t h a n experimental subjects. (The authors choose to consider the glass half full in their discussion. For purposes of this discussion, I'll view the glass as half empty.) Take Walther's study on wife abuse prevention. Male high schoolers who viewed a wife abuse film had post-film attitude ratings no differ~nt from randomly assigned control subjects who viewed a neutral film. Conclusions were t h a t viewing one film was not a potent attitude change intervention, and t h a t information alone may not be an adequate intervention. The candor of the author is refreshing; I am not sure the results are surprising. Take the Dielman, Shope, Butchart, and Campanelli (1986) article on an elementary school program to prevent adolescent alcohol misuse. Fifth and sixth graders were given four sessions of training on "immediate effects of alcohol, risks of alcohol misuse, and social pressures to misuse alcohol. Social skills to resist peer pressure to misuse alcohol were emphasized." At post-test, self-reports of alcohol use/misuse were no different in students at randomly assigned program and control schools. The authors acknowledge t h a t due to low base rates of alcohol use at t h a t age, program-control differences were not expected until follow-up some years later. John R. Morgan, Ph.D., is with the Chesterfield (VA.) Mental Health--Mental Retardation Department.
165
John R. Morgan
Discouraging? Disappointing? U n i m p o r t a n t ? H a r d l y . On t h e cont r a r y , t h e results are a m o n g the most p o t e n t i a l l y useful to be collected in one j o u r n a l n u m b e r since 1982 (Cowen, 1982). If one t a k e s t h e s e findings as seriously as positive ones, t h e n practitioners' e n t h u s i a s m for m u c h of w h a t passes for p r e v e n t i o n in the "real world" will be tempered, and r i g h t f u l l y so. P e r h a p s we would see fewer i n s t a n c e s of trying to c h a n g e societal conditions (e.g., prejudice) w i t h p e r s o n - c e n t e r e d i n t e r v e n t i o n s . Hopefully fewer p r o g r a m s would rely on movies to produce change. T h a n k f u l l y fewer p r a c t i t i o n e r s would do b r i e f didactic p r o g r a m s in the a t t e m p t to reduce y o u t h substance abuse. If r e s e a r c h guides practice, t h e n the publication of n e g a t i v e results will a l t e r some existing questionable p r e v e n t i o n practices. I for one am not disappointed to see n e g a t i v e results in y o u r j o u r n a l . I a m thrilled. C o n g r a t u l a t i o n s to t h e E d i t o r and r e v i e w e r s for the wisdom to publish these d i s a p p o i n t m e n t s . T h a t is h o n e s t d i s s e m i n a t i o n of science, and a welcome sign t h a t the "possible science" of p r e v e n t i o n is now m a t u r e e n o u g h to t o l e r a t e and even welcome n e g a t i v e findings.
References
Cowen, E.L. (1982). The special number: A complete road map. American Journal of Community Psychology, 10, 239-250. Dielman, T.E., Shope, J.T., Butchart, A.L., and Campanelli, P.C. (1986). Prevention of adolescent alcohol misuse: An elementary school program. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, i 1.
Rooney-Rebeck, P. and Jason, L. (19861. Prevention of prejudice in elementary school students. Journal of Primary Prevention, 7, 63-73. Walther, D.J. (1986) Wife abuse prevention: Effects of information on attitudes of high school boys. Journal of Primary Prevention, 7, 84-90.
Viewpoint: Negative Results: Any Applied Value? J O H N R. MORGAN Ph.D. For practitioners seeking applied research findings to guide their work, the recent issue of Journal of Primary Prevention (Volume 7, No. 2, Winter, 1986) may have been a disappointment. Negative results were prominent, and we all know that negative results are hard to publish, difficult to build programs (or careers) on, and just plain disappointing. For example, the Rooney-Rebeck and Jason article, "Preventing Prejudice in Elementary School Students." A peer tutoring intervention increased interethnic associations in 1st graders but not in 3rd graders. Academic measures showed no advantage for participants vs. controls. Classroom adjustment measures showed controls improved more t h a n experimental subjects. (The authors choose to consider the glass half full in their discussion. For purposes of this discussion, I'll view the glass as half empty.) Take Walther's study on wife abuse prevention. Male high schoolers who viewed a wife abuse film had post-film attitude ratings no differ~nt from randomly assigned control subjects who viewed a neutral film. Conclusions were t h a t viewing one film was not a potent attitude change intervention, and t h a t information alone may not be an adequate intervention. The candor of the author is refreshing; I am not sure the results are surprising. Take the Dielman, Shope, Butchart, and Campanelli (1986) article on an elementary school program to prevent adolescent alcohol misuse. Fifth and sixth graders were given four sessions of training on "immediate effects of alcohol, risks of alcohol misuse, and social pressures to misuse alcohol. Social skills to resist peer pressure to misuse alcohol were emphasized." At post-test, self-reports of alcohol use/misuse were no different in students at randomly assigned program and control schools. The authors acknowledge t h a t due to low base rates of alcohol use at t h a t age, program-control differences were not expected until follow-up some years later. John R. Morgan, Ph.D., is with the Chesterfield (VA.) Mental Health--Mental Retardation Department.
165
John R. Morgan
Discouraging? Disappointing? U n i m p o r t a n t ? H a r d l y . On t h e cont r a r y , t h e results are a m o n g the most p o t e n t i a l l y useful to be collected in one j o u r n a l n u m b e r since 1982 (Cowen, 1982). If one t a k e s t h e s e findings as seriously as positive ones, t h e n practitioners' e n t h u s i a s m for m u c h of w h a t passes for p r e v e n t i o n in the "real world" will be tempered, and r i g h t f u l l y so. P e r h a p s we would see fewer i n s t a n c e s of trying to c h a n g e societal conditions (e.g., prejudice) w i t h p e r s o n - c e n t e r e d i n t e r v e n t i o n s . Hopefully fewer p r o g r a m s would rely on movies to produce change. T h a n k f u l l y fewer p r a c t i t i o n e r s would do b r i e f didactic p r o g r a m s in the a t t e m p t to reduce y o u t h substance abuse. If r e s e a r c h guides practice, t h e n the publication of n e g a t i v e results will a l t e r some existing questionable p r e v e n t i o n practices. I for one am not disappointed to see n e g a t i v e results in y o u r j o u r n a l . I a m thrilled. C o n g r a t u l a t i o n s to t h e E d i t o r and r e v i e w e r s for the wisdom to publish these d i s a p p o i n t m e n t s . T h a t is h o n e s t d i s s e m i n a t i o n of science, and a welcome sign t h a t the "possible science" of p r e v e n t i o n is now m a t u r e e n o u g h to t o l e r a t e and even welcome n e g a t i v e findings.
References
Cowen, E.L. (1982). The special number: A complete road map. American Journal of Community Psychology, 10, 239-250. Dielman, T.E., Shope, J.T., Butchart, A.L., and Campanelli, P.C. (1986). Prevention of adolescent alcohol misuse: An elementary school program. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, i 1.
Rooney-Rebeck, P. and Jason, L. (19861. Prevention of prejudice in elementary school students. Journal of Primary Prevention, 7, 63-73. Walther, D.J. (1986) Wife abuse prevention: Effects of information on attitudes of high school boys. Journal of Primary Prevention, 7, 84-90.
