title: Prospective research with vulnerable children and the risky art of preventive intervention.
abstract: The Vermont Vulnerable Child Development Project is presented as an example of community based preventive intervention research employing multiple control groups and prospective epidemiology. Discussion emphasizes both methodological issues and the pragmatics involved in choosing to use community institutions in order to study preventive interventions for very young multi-risk children living with their mentally disturbed parents. Further, a rationale is provided for anticipating and coping with the political, sociological and personality conflicts which are probably inescapable in this type of mental health research.
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002662:Child Health Services; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004992:Ethics, Medical; D006801:Humans; D011315:Preventive Medicine; D012107:Research Design; D012306:Risk; D014707:Vermont