Implementation of a School-Based Prevention Program: Effects of Counselor and School Characteristics

The authors explore 2 broad categories of factors that could influence the intervention dissemination process: individual interventionist characteristics and school-level characteristics. Counselors from 32 schools received training in the Coping Power youth violence prevention intervention. Interventionist characteristics found to affect the implementation process included counselors' agreeableness and conscientiousness. Counselor agreeableness was positively associated with completion of session objectives, the number of sessions scheduled, and engagement with parents. Counselor conscientiousness was associated with engagement with children. In terms of school-level characteristics, counselors who were cynical about organizational change had poorer quality of engagement with children and parents if they worked in schools with environments that allowed staff limited autonomy and with greater managerial control. These findings have implications for screening of practitioners for training of evidence-based programs and for providing education during intervention training about practitioner and setting characteristics that are related to optimal intervention implementation. © 2009 American Psychological Association.

Duke Scholars

Author Karen Cameron Wells Psychiatry, Child & Family Mental Health & Community Psychia ...