ABSTRACT
… Borrowing from the wisdom of the public health field, the goal of primary prevention efforts in mental health is to decrease the number of newly occurring cases of people experiencing psychological distress. Preventionists acknowledge the complex and often interacting factors that cause psychological distress, yet their fundamental emphasis is placed upon the role of environmental and social conditions (e.g., Albee, 1986; Cowen, 1991). Certainly, there is a whole literature highlighting the role of stress, as a social condition, in the cause of both physical and mental problems (e.g., Albee, 1986). Further, preventionists recognize that the individual is vulnerable to psychological distress when she or he does not have the qualities and skills to cope adequately with difficult conditions (Albee, 1986; Cowen, 1991).
