McWhirter's: Presenting Highlights of Chapter 12 and 13

Presenting highlights of chapter 12 and 13
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Chapter 12
Definitions of preventions have been varying over time and across disciplines. Prevention refers to stop something prior it occurs. There are primary, second and tertiary prevention, which refers to reducing the new incidence rates of a disorder (primary), prevalence rates for such risks of developing a disorder (secondary), or the dangerous effects of an existing disorder (tertiary). Prevention definitions were formed to categorize preventions efforts for physical disorders. Nevertheless, it is more difficult to identify the cause of a psychological disorder and to categorize complex mental disorder prevention efforts into a single category like universal or primary prevention. McWhirter (2012) explains that prevention efforts should encompass four dimensions such as stopping a problem behavior from ever happening, delaying the start of a problem behavior, reducing the impact of an existing problem behavior, and strengthening knowledge.
What acts a treatment intervention for a problem often serves as a prevention strategy for a more developed problem. Problem behaviors exist along a continuum. In chapter 2, if Tyrone Baker is involved in a smoking reduction group, then treatment is being offered to his smoking habit because cigarette smoking puts him at risk of other drugs like marijuana, alcohol, and others (McWhirter, 2012). Thus treatment serves as a prevention strategy. Risks also form a continuum. Factors contributing to risks including demographic features like economic conditions, social class, school stressors, community, family, and personal characteristics, behaviors and attitudes. In understanding risk, it is vital to consider protective factors.
Prevention efforts should be detailed, sequential, and intensive with continued involvement over long period of time. Short-term interventions achieve short-term results. Sequential and periodic booster follow-up sessions should be incorporated to assist maintain effects of the initial interventions (McWhirter, 2012). Indicated treatment approaches are meant to assist individuals who are experiencing potential risks for problem behavior or those who started to engage in the risk behavior. Indicated treatment approaches must be formed for the youth whose behaviors, problems and characteristics are related to at-risk activity. Young people who have made wrong choices require an opportunity to change such choices into more positive and constructive ones. Second-chance interventions are required to adolescents and children who have dropt out, have become pregnant, are engaging in substance abuse, and engaging in aggressive and violent behaviors; they require a second chance.
The universal, selected, indicated and second-chance approaches address risk factors which are most contributors to problems facing young people. The problems facing youth and children at risk have numerous antecedents, and interventions must concentrate on several causal factors for them to be remedied. The intention of such approaches is to set these people on new paths as early as possible, to change life circumstances, to open opportunities, and to focus on long-term change (Was...