Summary
Mediational selection designs can increase the chance of finding an intervention to be statistically better than a control when compared to interventions applied to a selected subpopulation such as all children of divorce. Selection based on poor mediational variable scores creates a high expectation that many subjects will benefit because it matches a population to a given intervention strategy. It does not permit examination of the impact on other subjects nor the possibility of interventions that may be tuned to the specific needs of different subpopulations. A sequence of trials each built on the results of previous ones has the potential for extending the results obtained from a mediational selection design.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Box, G. E. P., & Tiao, G. (1973).Bayesian inference in statistical analysis. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
Breiman, L., Friedman, J. H. Olshen, R. A., & Stone, C. J. (1984).Classification and regression trees. Monterey, CA: Wadsworth & Brooks.
Brown, C. H. (1991a).Statistical methods for preventive trials in mental health. Submitted for publication.
Brown, C. H. (1991b).Principles for designing universal and targeted intervention studies. Presented at the Second National Conference on Prevention Research, National Institute of Mental Health, Washington, DC.
Efron, B., & Morris, C. N (1975). Data analysis using Stein's estimator and its generalizations.Journal of the American Statistical Association, 70, 311–319.
Fay, R E., & Herriot, R. A. (1979). Estimates of income for small places: An application of James-Stein procedures to census data.Journal of the American Statistical Association, 74, 269–277.
Gordon, R. S. (1983). An operational classification of disease prevention.Public Health Reports, 98, 107–109.
Hastie, T., & Tibshirani, R. (1991).Generalized additive models. London: Chapman and Hall.
Lorion, R. P., Price, R. H., & Eaton, W. W. (1989). The prevention of child and adolescent disorders: From theory to research. In D. Shaffer, I. Philips, & N. B. Enzer (Eds.),Prevention of mental disorders, alcohol, and other drug use in children and adolescents. OSAP Prevention Monograph-2 (DHHS Publication No. ADM 89-1646, pp. 55–97). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
Pillow, D. R., Sandler, I. N., Wolchik, S. A., & Gerstcn, J. C. (1991). Theory-based screening for prevention: Focusing on mediating processes of children of divorce.American Journal of Community Psychology, 19,
Sameroff, A. J., & Fiese, B. H. (1989). Conceptual issues in prevention. In D. Shaffer, I. Phillips, & N. B. Enzer (Eds.),Prevention of mental disorders, alcohol, and other drug use in children and adolescents. OSAP Prevention Monograph-2 (DHHS Publication No. ADM 89-1646). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Public Health Service. (1990).Health people 2000: National health promotion and disease prevention objectives (DHHS Publication No. PHS 91-50212). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Brown, C.H. Comparison of mediational selected strategies and sequential designs for preventive trials: Comments on a proposal by pillow et al.. Am J Commun Psychol 19, 837–846 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00937884
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00937884