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Overcoming Barriers to Collaboration Between Basic Behavioral Scientists and Public Health Scientists in Research on Mental Disorders

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Abstract

The behavioral and public health sciences both have a long and rich history supporting basic, translational, and applied research aimed at improving human lives and reducing human suffering. Through the complementary expertise of these disciplines, investigators have contributed to significant, worldwide improvements in mental and physical health. Further gains can be achieved through collaborative research among scientists in these 2 fields. Unfortunately, there are a number of barriers to such collaboration originating in different intellectual traditions, research methods, and the structure and values of academia. We identify these barriers and potential strategies for overcoming them. Several areas for future collaborative research appear promising, especially comorbid mental and physical disorders, adherence to interventions, stigma, and emotional processes. Theory-guided preventive interventions may represent especially fertile areas of collaborative effort.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Health and Behavioral Science Research Branch, Division of Mental Disorders, Behavioral Research, and AIDS, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland

    Peter R. Muehrer

  2. Department of Psychology, Yale University School of Medicine, USA

    Peter Salovey

  3. Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Yale University School of Medicine, USA

    Peter Salovey & Michael H. Merson

  4. School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, California

    Abdelmonem A. Afifi

  5. Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Pennsylvania

    James C. Coyne

  6. Department of Family Practice and Community Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Pennsylvania

    James C. Coyne

  7. Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, California

    Ann M. Kring

  8. School of Public Health, University of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois

    Thomas R. Prohaska

  9. Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Florida, Florida

    Ronald H. Rozensky

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  1. Peter R. Muehrer
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  2. Peter Salovey
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  3. Abdelmonem A. Afifi
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  7. Thomas R. Prohaska
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  8. Ronald H. Rozensky
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Muehrer, P.R., Salovey, P., Afifi, A.A. et al. Overcoming Barriers to Collaboration Between Basic Behavioral Scientists and Public Health Scientists in Research on Mental Disorders. Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings 9, 253–265 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1020758416171

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