The Value of Model Programmes in Mental Health Promotion and Mental Disorder Prevention
| Date | 01 February 1999 |
| Pages | 4-16 |
| Published date | 01 February 1999 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/17465729199900010 |
| Author | Clemens Hosman,M. Claire,L. Engels |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care |
4International Journal of Mental Health Promotion VOLUME 1 ISSUE 2 • APRIL 1999 © Pavilion Publishing (Brighton) Limited.
Worldwide interest in model programmes
Although common for several decades in other fields, the concept of model
programmes and related concepts such
as evidence-based prevention, demonstration projects and models of good
practice are rather new in the field of mental health promotion and mental
disorder prevention. In the
literature before 1985, these concepts were rarely used.
But now dissemination and large-scale implementation of model programmes
are considered important tools in helping to increase the quality and effective-
ness of mental health promotion and mental disorder prevention at a community
level. International collaboration in developing, evaluating
and disseminating such model programmes is regarded as vital for making
significant progress in promotion and prevention.
Since the early eighties, prevention researchers and
other preventionists in the United States have taken a lead
in developing model programmes. Several reviews of model programmes have
been published over the last decade. Some have concentrated on mental health
promotion and on mental disorder prevention in general (Price et al., 1988;
Bosma & Hosman, 1990; Hosman & Veltman,1994; Mrazek & Haggerty, 1994;
Hodgson & Abbasi, 1995; Barton et al.,1995; Bloom, 1996; Albee & Gulotta,
1997). Others have looked at specific problem areas, such as juvenile delinquen-
cy(Zigler et al., 1992), childhood disorders and substance abuse (Peters &
McMahon, 1996), child abuse and neglect (Carroll et al.,1992; Ol sen & Widom,
1993; MacMillan et al., 1994), conduct disorder (Reid,1993) and depression
(Muñoz, 1993).With
afew exceptions, the model programmes outlined are of American origin and
they originate from the 1970s and 1980s; the vast majority of these programmes
focus on children and adolescents. Now the development and dissemination of
evidence-based model programmes has become an essential element in national
prevention policies. This view is reflected in,for example, the agenda for the next
decade of prevention as described in the authoritative report Reducing Risks of
Mental Disorder from the American Institute of Medicine (Mrazek & Haggerty,
1994).
Interest in Europe in the development and dissemination
of model programmes is more recent than in the United States, although there has
been a European mental hygiene tradition for almost a hundred years. During the
last five years in
particular,European interest in model programmes has developed significantly and
The Value of Model Programmes
in Mental Health Promotion and
Mental Disorder Prevention
Clemens M. H. Hosman
Maastricht University and Nijmegen University,
The Netherlands
M. Claire L. J. Engels
Maastricht University and Nijmegen University,
The Netherlands
FEATURE
This article discusses the state of the art concerning the
meaning and value of model programmes in mental health
promotion and mental disorder prevention. Model
programmes are considered an important instrument for
improving the quality, social impact and cost-effectiveness
of promotion and prevention. However,thereis a lack
of conceptual clarity and insight in the processes and
mechanisms for successful use of model programmes in this
field. This article offers a further clarification of the concept
of model programmes and discusses its pros and cons and
current views on the process of programme development
and programme use. The discussion will be based
particularly on recent experiences with model programmes
in Europe. Until recently, prevention research was directed
mainly at the design and testing of new model programmes.
However, successful use of the ‘model programme strategy’
requires more attention to the pre-conditions for effective
dissemination, adoption and implementation of model
programmes. Only when this multi-phased process is
taken into account and the required pre-conditions and
quality criteria arespecified can one expect that model
programmes will be moreeffective at a community level.
The consequences of this view for prevention science and
prevention research policies are discussed. To implement
such a multi-phased process successfully, not only are con-
ceptual clarity and a scientificunderpinning crucial, but also
collaborative organisational structures are needed at national
and international level if the range of complementary tasks
is to be executed effectively and efficiently.
ABSTRACT
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