This core uses as its primary mechanism of operation a set of collaborative research planning workshops designed to bring MPRC researchers and trainees together with external experts to advance specific research agendas of the Center. The intent is to create a context for scientific collaboration and prevention research training and to develop research proposals for new programmatic research to further MPRC objectives.
Statistical Analysis of Noncompliance and Attrition in Preventive Trials. Appropriate analytic procedures are critical to the evaluation of preventive trials where attrition my be an issue (Little & Rubin, 1987; Little, 1993). On June 8, 1995 Professor Donald Rubin from the Department of Statistics at Harvard University conducted a workshop and public MPRC colloquium on “Observational Studies, Randomized Experiments, and Non-Compliance as a Bridge.” Professor Roderick Little, Chair of the Department of Biostatistics at the University of Michigan, School of Public Health, and other MPRC faculty and students participated in the workshop.
Transition from Welfare to Work. Changing national policies will mean that large numbers of families will soon be facing an unanticipated transition from welfare support to job search in attempts to obtain employment (Danziger, Sandefur, & Weinburg, 1994). On August 1, 1995 the Michigan Prevention Research Center co-sponsored a workshop with the Michigan Program on Poverty and Social Welfare and the University of Michigan School of Social Work on model intervention approaches for supporting people in the transition from welfare to work. The workshop was led by Sandra Danziger, Director of the Michigan Poverty and Social Welfare Program (PSWP), and included 35 participants from the University of Michigan, the Michigan Department of Social Services, the US Department of Health and Human Services, and the Manpower Development Research Corporation.
Couple Relationships, Mental Health and Economic Hardship. Couple relationships may be decisive in job search success and mental health for many unemployed persons (Howe, Caplan, Foster, Lockshin, & McGrath, 1995). On September 21-22, 1995, the MPRC group, with their colleagues from George Washington University conducted a workshop on interventions for marital relationships and mental health and economic factors in marriage.
Role of Self Efficacy in Preventive Intervention Design. Generating a sense of self efficacy and mastery are critical elements in many preventive interventions (Vinokur, Price, Caplan, van Ryn & Curran, 1995; Vinokur, Price & Schul, 1995; Price & Vinokur, 1995). On October 20, 1995, an MPRC workshop was held with Professor Dov Eden, University of Tel Aviv, Israel, on motivational factors, particularly self efficacy in intervention design.
Selection Issues in Preventive Intervention Research. This workshop brought together two groups of researchers studying self selection bias in prevention research: 1) The statistical methodological approach which develops statistical tools to deal with the problem and 2) The behavioral approach which regards self selection as behavior worthy of study in its own right. The goal of the workshop was to create a dialogue between these two approaches with the hope of long term convergence between the approaches.