Session: “What Doesn’t Work for Whom: An Exploration of ‘Nonresponse’ in Depression Prevention Research” (Society for Prevention Research 21st Annual Meeting)

Intervention development research typically asks the question: ‘What works for whom?’  How can we best match an intervention to an individual based on their symptoms or risk profile in order to maximize the likelihood of treatment success, or, in the case of prevention, minimize the likelihood of disease onset?A question less frequently asked and not often reported in the literature is:  ‘What doesn’t work for whom?’  While there are interventions that have demonstrated efficacy in reducing the onset or recurrence of depression in at-risk youth, in all studies, there are a proportion of individuals who, despite receiving an intervention that works for some, still go on to develop disorder, or show no reduction in symptoms.Given that the issue of ‘nonresponse’ to intervention is not often examined, there are several unanswered questions warranting exploration; for example: What is an appropriate definition of ‘nonresponse’ in prevention?   What variables might predict ‘nonresponse?’ (e.g., individual level factors, factors related to the intervention, adherence, etc.). Improving our capacity to characterize predictors of nonresponse will contribute to our ability to better match individuals to intervention and, ultimately, improve outcomes.This organized poster symposium will bring together researchers who have conducted preventive intervention research trials aimed at reducing depression in order to identify ways of characterizing nonresponse to intervention.  While each of the studies targeted depression as an outcome, the interventions tested reflect a range of theoretical approaches and hypothesized mediators.  Bringing these researchers and their work together will provide a unique opportunity to explore whether or not there is a common answer to the question of ‘what doesn’t work for whom?’