Dating Violence Prevention Programs Research Articles

A Review of Evidence-Based Dating Violence Prevention Programs With Behavioral Change Outcomes for Adolescents and Young Adults.

Adolescent dating violence (DV) is not only a social but also a public health problem, necessitating the development and scale-up of prevention strategies. We conducted a review of the literature to identify adolescent and young adult DV prevention programs that have shown promising behavioral outcomes. The literature search covered articles published from 1996 to 2022 and indexed in Medline, Cochrane, Scopus, PsycINFO, and Embase. The review focused on programs implemented and evaluated in the United States or Canada that included intervention and comparison groups, a baseline assessment, and at least one post-assessment conducted after the intervention exposure. Promising behavioral outcomes were defined as positive, statistically significant differences between intervention and comparison groups with respect to DV perpetration or victimization or bystander behavior in relation to DV. A total of 118 articles were screened by abstract and read in-depth. Eighteen programs that met the inclusion criteria were identified. Of these programs, one showed reductions in DV victimization, six showed reductions in DV perpetration, and nine showed behavioral reductions in both violence perpetration and victimization. The review highlighted that while multiple programs have demonstrated efficacy in preventing or reducing intimate partner violence in North American youth populations, more robust research on the replication of these programs outside researcher-controlled environments is needed. Furthermore, issues with program inclusivity, such as with sex and gender-minority individuals, should be considered in future intervention development and replication research.

Dating violence prevention programs for at-risk adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Dating violence prevention programs for at-risk adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Three-Year Outcomes From a Middle School Dating Violence Prevention Program.

Three-Year Outcomes From a Middle School Dating Violence Prevention Program.

“It’s a Feeling That Makes You do Anything”: Youth’ Narratives of Love and Experiences of Victimization in Their Romantic Relationships

Youth narratives of love are shaped by romantic experiences through observation of others’ romantic relationships, and by media commonly conveying romantic beliefs. Since past reports have linked romantic beliefs to dating violence (DV), studies need to explore narratives of love by youth who report DV victimization experiences to identify specific targets to address in DV prevention programs. This qualitative study explored the narratives of love by heterosexual youth and documented specific features according to their DV victimization experiences. Directed content analysis guided the analyses of semi-structured interviews of 82 participants aged 15 to 24 years ( M = 19.4; SD = 2.1). Most participants were cisgender females (75.6%) born in Canada to Canadian-born parents (54.6%). Four polarized narratives of love emerged: (1) Growing love versus love at first sight, (2) Completive versus fusional love, (3) Lucid versus triumphant love, and (4) Ongoing versus eternal love. Both participants who reported experiencing DV victimization, and those who did not, expressed non-romantic and romantic beliefs, although they used different wording to convey similar beliefs in their narratives. These findings underscore the importance of challenging the dominant romantic beliefs that may place youth at risk of experiencing DV and therefore contribute to DV prevention.

Prevalence of psychological violence in young people in the south of Spain: Implications for prevention

The present study shows the prevalence of psychological violence received across ten dimensions in young people aged 18 to 25 years (55.8% female) and the perception of severity, in order to design more effective dating violence prevention programs. We used a sample taken in southern Spain of 771 people. The instrument used was an adaptation of Perceived Gender Violence Scale (VGP), a perception of dating violence scales towards women through 47 behaviours. It was adapted to assess psychological violence received in men and women, maintaining psychometric properties from original (α > .94) and a factor analysis without rotation resulting in a KMO-Barlett .94. The results show that 84.4% of women and 80.2% of men have received some type of psychological violence behaviour from their last partners. The most frequent are Affective indifference (67.7%), Discrediting (51.8%) and Control (50.6%), followed by Emotional manipulation and Sexual pressure. Differences were found by age, with more frequent at the age of 20 years old. Differences were found by sex in the type of psychological violence received, but the most important predictor variables were having a current partner (β = 17.7; p < .001; R2= .07): where women with a partner perceive a lower level of violence received. The data suggest that it is necessary to incorporate these behaviours to be developed as contents in prevention programs; the research provides the most frequent behaviors.

“Violence is Just an Expression of Love and Spontaneity”: Young Men’s Processes of Resistance to Change After a Dating Violence Prevention Program in Turkey

“Violence is Just an Expression of Love and Spontaneity”: Young Men’s Processes of Resistance to Change After a Dating Violence Prevention Program in Turkey

"I felt imprisoned": A qualitative exploration of controlling behaviors in adolescent and emerging adult dating relationships.

First dating relationships can elicit intense emotions that youth may attempt to alleviate by using control tactics that negatively impact the quality of their relationship and their partner's well-being. Despite the breadth of research on dating violence, studies examining control tactics in youth relationships are limited. The current qualitative study documented control tactics from the perspective of youth who are currently in dating relationships. Individual semistructured interviews were conducted with 39 participants aged 15-22 years old to gather information regarding conflict management strategies used in their dating relationships. The participants were recruited from high schools and junior colleges across the province of Quebec, Canada. Direct content analysis revealed three categories of control tactics, including, isolation, domination, and emotional manipulation. These findings highlight the importance of further examining control dynamics in adolescent and emerging adult dating relationships to improve dating violence prevention programs. Educational programs can help prevent control from escalating to more direct forms of violence by supporting youth in identifying unhealthy relationship dynamics and providing them with tools to either safely end the relationship or communicate their concerns with their partner.

Can Attitudes Serve as Proxies for Behavioral Outcomes of Dating Violence Prevention Programs? Broader Lessons From a Pilot Evaluation of the Relationship Education Project

Teen dating violence (TDV) is a prevalent problem in the United States. Although research indicates that prevention programs have favorable effects on TDV knowledge/attitudes, there is limited evidence of meaningful effects on behavior. This is important, as researchers often measure the former as a proxy for the latter. The present study uses pre-posttest data from students participating in the Relationship Education Project, a TDV prevention program implemented in 19 middle and high schools in South Carolina, to examine associations between changes in TDV attitudes and TDV behavior. Findings indicate favorable changes in attitudes toward controlling and supportive dating behaviors were associated with lower incidents of some TDV behaviors. Implications for measuring TDV program effects and preventing TDV by fostering attitude change are discussed.

School Absenteeism Among Middle School Students With High Exposure to Violence.

Chronic school absenteeism is linked to failure to graduate high school and poor health in adulthood. Contextual factors associated with absenteeism may be under-recognized in school and clinical settings. We examined the prevalence of self-reported absenteeism and violence exposure and their association among middle school students with identified risk of trauma. We analyzed baseline data from a dating violence prevention program. Participants completed surveys identifying lifetime exposure to 10 types of violence and past 30-day absence. Violence exposure and absenteeism were summarized and compared across demographic groups. Generalized linear models examined associations between 1) any history of violence exposure, 2) each type of violence exposure, and 3) summed exposures to different types of violence, and frequent absenteeism (≥2 absences in past 30 days). Of all participants (overall n=499), 45.5% reported frequent absenteeism and 71.5% reported violence exposure. Any self-reported violence exposure was associated with absenteeism (aRR=1.43, 95%CI: 1.06-1.92). However, no specific type of violence exposure predicted absenteeism. Comparing summed exposures to different types of violence to no violence exposure, exposure to 1 type of violence was associated with absenteeism (aRR=1.59, 95%CI: 1.15-2.20), with no evidence of stronger associations with greater exposure (2-3 types: aRR=1.37, 95%CI: 1.00-1.88; ≥4 types: aRR=1.31, 95%CI: 0.98-1.74). Youth in this sample reported both high rates of violence exposure and absenteeism. Prior violence exposure was associated with absenteeism. Resources and contextual support for youth exposed to family or community violence may play a role in school attendance, emphasizing need for trauma-sensitive approaches to absenteeism.

Profiles of Attitudes Toward Dating Abuse and Association with Subsequent Adolescent Relationship Abuse.

This study investigates variation in adolescent attitudes regarding dating violence under different conditions, the association of these conditional attitudes with subsequent adolescent relationship abuse (ARA), and youth and parent-reported characteristics associated with youth attitudes. The sample consists of 607 youth, as a subset from those who responded to a nationally representative longitudinal survey of dating violence. A latent class analysis identified three profiles of attitudinal patterns: No Tolerance for Hitting Partners (NT), Some Tolerance for Hitting Partners (ST), and High Tolerance for Hitting Partners (HT). The HT profile predicted subsequent physical (compared to the NT profile), sexual ARA perpetration (compared to both the NT and the ST profiles), and physical ARA victimization (compared to the NT profile). The ST profile predicted subsequent psychological ARA perpetration and victimization (compare to the NT profile). Results inform youth dating violence prevention programs to reduce ARA and intimate partner violence by changing youth attitudes toward dating violence.

Web-Based Delivery of a Family-Based Dating Violence Prevention Program for Youth Who Have Been Exposed to Intimate Partner Violence: Protocol for an Acceptability and Feasibility Study.

BackgroundChildren exposed to intimate partner violence (IPV) between caregivers are at an increased risk of becoming involved in dating violence during adolescence. However, to date, few adolescent dating violence (ADV) prevention programs have been developed for and evaluated with youth exposed to IPV. An exception is Moms and Teens for Safe Dates (MTSD), an evidence-based ADV prevention program for mothers or maternal caregivers (mothers) exposed to IPV and their teenagers. The MTSD program comprises a series of booklets that families complete together in a home that includes activities to promote positive family communication and healthy teenager relationships. We developed a web-adapted version of the MTSD program—entitled eMoms and Teens for Safe Dates (eMTSD)—to provide a delivery format that may increase program appeal for digitally oriented teenagers, lower dissemination costs, lower reading burden for low-literacy participants, and incorporate built-in cues and reminders to boost program adherence.ObjectiveThis protocol is for a research study that has the following three main objectives: to assess the acceptability of eMTSD; to identify the feasibility of the research process, including program adherence and participant recruitment and assessment; and to explore the acceptability, feasibility, and preliminary efficacy of 2 features—text reminders and the creation of an action plan for engaging with the program—that may increase program uptake and completion.MethodsApproximately 100 mothers and their teenagers will be invited to complete eMTSD, which includes six 30-minute web-based modules over a 6-week period. Mothers will be recruited through community organizations and social media advertising and will be eligible to participate if they have at least 1 teenager aged 12 to 16 years living with them, have experienced IPV after the teenager was born, are not currently living with an abusive partner, and have access to an internet-enabled device. Using a factorial design, enrolled dyads will be randomized to the following four adherence support groups (n=25 dyads per group): text reminders and action planning, text reminders only, action planning only, and no adherence supports. All participants will complete brief web-based assessments at enrollment after each module is completed, after the full program is completed, and 90 days after enrollment. Program adherence will be tracked using website use metrics.ResultsThe data collected will be synthesized to assess the acceptability of the program and the feasibility of the study procedures. An exploratory analysis will examine the impact of adherence support on program completion levels. In November 2021, ethical approval was received and recruitment was initiated. Data collection is expected to continue until December 2022.ConclusionsThe web-based delivery of a family-based healthy relationship program for teenagers exposed to IPV may offer a convenient, low-cost, and engaging approach to preventing ADV. The findings from this study are expected to guide future research.International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)DERR1-10.2196/35487

A 10 year (2011-2021) systematic review of teen dating violence prevention programs.

Teen dating violence (TDV) refers to the physical, sexual and/or psychological violence that takes place within a romantic relationship amongst teenagers. TDV has devastating consequences for the victims, particularly for young women, who also experience increased risk of relationship violence in their adulthood. In view of this, the implementation of effective TDV prevention programs has the potential to tackle both TDV and contribute to eradicate gender-based violence. The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review examining the effectiveness of the TDV programs published during the last decade (2011-2021). From the 1143 studies identified through the database searches, 28 met the inclusion criteria: 10-18 years old; experimental, or quasi-experimental with control group; examining knowledge, attitudes and/or TDV behavior indicators; 2011-2021. Although there were still many programs focused on changing knowledge and attitudes only, we found an increase in the number of studies examining TDV behavioral indicators. A modest improvement in the quality of the programs in terms of their ability to modify the desired TDV behaviors was detected, yet resistance to change was still observed. Effective programs met many of the requirements specified by the gender transformative programme literature (time-intensive, multilevel, multicomponent skill development approaches). Nonetheless, we identified some brief, creative and effective interventions worth implementing given their cost-efficacy.

A Coach-Delivered Dating Violence Prevention Program: Coach Perspectives on Implementation.

Coaching Boys into Men (CBIM), an evidence-based violence prevention program, utilizes the coach-athlete relationship to deliver information about healthy, respectful relationships to adolescent boys involved in athletics. Although CBIM has demonstrated effectiveness in clinical research trials, its implementation outside of an effectiveness study has not been explored. The purpose of this current study was to explore facilitators and barriers of effective implementation in community settings using experiences from one regional implementation in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Head coaches who implemented CBIM from 2017-2018 seasons (n = 35) were contacted and 22 (63%) agreed to participate. Coaches were asked how they delivered CBIM to their team, what aided the process, barriers to facilitation, and their overall thoughts on CBIM implementation. Interviews were structured to uncover specific information regarding implementation while also providing time and space for coaches to voice their suggestions and opinions. Interviews were coded using descriptive content analysis. Key facilitators to implementation were involvement of violence prevention advocates, athletic directors, assistant coaches, and players and having flexibility to integrate current events to emphasize topics covered in CBIM. Observed improvements in bystander intervention behaviors and better attitudes towards women and girls among athletes were key motivators for coaches to continue the program. Main barriers were inconsistencies in time available to discuss topics with players and need to refresh curriculum content over multiple seasons. Coaches identified components necessary for broader and sustained implementation of this evidence-based violence prevention intervention in community settings. Coaches' confidence in delivering program content can be bolstered with appropriate strategies in place to address barriers. As coaches witness positive impacts among their athletes, these successes contribute to coaches recognizing their role in transforming sports into a platform for community-wide violence prevention.

Verbal Arguments That Precede Dating Violence Perpetration: A Qualitative Analysis.

Verbal arguments often precede physical dating violence perpetration, and research is needed to better understand the content and evolution of arguments in dating relationships in order to develop more targeted dating violence prevention programming. This multisite project qualitatively investigated the content of verbal arguments preceding physical dating violence perpetration reported by 30 undergraduate students. Participants completed a semi-structured interview inquiring about events preceding participants' most recent dating violence episode. Interviews were analyzed using a thematic analysis approach. Verbal arguments often preceded participants' most recent episode of physical dating violence perpetration, with a wide range of argument topics reported, including jealousy, partner noncompliance, and substance use. Findings highlight the need for research to better understand the context of verbal arguments that precipitate dating violence perpetration.

PRO-Mueve Relaciones Sanas - A Gender-Based Violence Prevention Program for Adolescents: Assessment of Its Efficacy in the First Year of Intervention.

PRO-Mueve Relaciones Sanas (PRO-Mote Healthy Relationships) is a gender-based violence and dating violence prevention program targeted at adolescents. The program has been designed to be implemented during three consecutive courses [from the first to third year of Spanish mandatory secondary education (ESO)] in 8 annual sessions, imparted by university students who have been previously trained and supervised by university professors. The present study evaluates the effects of the program after the first year of implementation through a quasi-experimental design (Intervention Group N = 181; Quasi-control group N = 62; Mage = 12.11; SDage = 0.57; 54.7% girls) and assesses whether there are gender differences in the outcomes. The results obtained evidenced a significant reduction in benevolent sexism in the intervention group compared to the quasi-control group. Regarding hostile sexism, it was found to increase significantly in the quasi-control group, while it remained stable in the intervention group. Thus, there were significant differences between both groups after the intervention. Likewise, romantic love myths were found to decrease significantly, and knowledge about gender-based violence increased significantly in the intervention group between the two time points assessed, although there were no significant differences with the quasi-control group. No gender differences in the outcomes of the program were observed. The obtained results supported the efficacy of the program during the first year of intervention in the first course of the ESO and laid the foundation for the following phases of intervention.

Effects of a Dating Violence Prevention Program on Bystanders

Effects of a Dating Violence Prevention Program on Bystanders

A Dating Violence Prevention Program for Middle School Youth: A Cluster Randomized Trial

We conducted a cluster randomized controlled trial to test the a priori hypothesis that students attending an intervention middle school would be less likely to report physical adolescent relationship abuse (ARA) 1 year later compared with students attending a control school. Secondary objectives were to determine if the intervention reduced substance misuse, bullying, and fighting. Twenty-four Texas public middle schools were matched by the size of student enrollment, number of economically disadvantaged students, and race and ethnicity of the student body and randomly assigned to the intervention (n = 12; 1237 participants) or the control (n = 12; 1531participants) group. The intervention, Fourth R, is a classroom-based curriculum delivered by existing teachers and consists of 21 lessons on injury prevention, substance use, and growth and development. Participants (50% female) self-reported ethnicity as Hispanic or Latinx (35%), Black or African American (24%), Asian American (17%), White (8%), and multiethnicity or other (16%). Among those who have dated, students in the intervention schools were less likely to report perpetrating physical ARA (intervention = 14.9% versus control = 18.3%) relative to students in the control schools (adjusted odds ratio, 0.66; 95% confidence interval, 0.43-1.00; P = .05). In the overall sample, no significant differences emerged between control and intervention groups with respect to substance misuse, fighting, and bullying. The middle school version of Fourth R is effective in reducing physical ARA perpetration over at least 1 year. The intervention did not have an effect on bullying perpetration, physical fighting with peers, and substance misuse. Long-term assessment, especially follow-up that covers the transition to high school, is needed to examine the program benefit on key outcomes.

DRIVEN to Change Attitudes Toward Dating Violence: Outcomes From a 6-Month Follow-Up Study

While dating violence (DV) is a significant issue present on college campuses among students of all ethnic groups, research suggests that DV is preventable. As Latino representation at colleges increases, it is important to find DV prevention programs addressing specific sociocultural characteristics of this ethnic group. We created the DRIVEN (Dating Relationships Involving Violence End Now) program to fill a significant need for DV programming tailored to Latino college students. This study examines the durability of initial positive outcomes over a 6-month period. To do so, we conducted a 6-month follow-up with a total of 49 Latino college students attending a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) located on the U.S.-Mexico border. Results suggest DRIVEN outcomes were maintained on the following variables: dating violence attitudes, dating violence victimization and perpetration, and marianismo. Implications for these findings are discussed in the context of implementing group-based programs with college students.

Correction to: Examining the effects of teen dating violence prevention programs: a systematic review and meta-analysis

A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11292-020-09456-5

Multiple Forms of Sexting and Associations with Psychosocial Health in Early Adolescents.

Despite the recent surge of sexting research, the link between sexting and psychosocial health remains inconclusive. To address this gap in the literature, we examined the link between multiple forms of sexting and a range of psychosocial health problems. Data were from a randomized controlled trial of a school-based dating violence prevention program. Participants were 2199 early adolescents (49.8% female) aged 14 years and under (mean age = 13.53, SD = 0.50) enrolled in middle-schools in southeast Texas. Participants self-reported to be 35.4% Hispanic, 7.9% Non-Hispanic White, 26.2% Non-Hispanic Black, 18.6% Asian, and 11.9% other. Multilevel multivariate regressions found that pressured sexting was associated with hostility and aggressive temperament. Receiving unsolicited sexts was associated with depression, impulsivity, hostility, emotion dysregulation, and aggressive temperament. Forwarding sexts without permission was linked to hostility. Asking someone for sexts was linked to impulsivity and aggressive temperament, while being asked to send a sext was associated with depression, anxiety, impulsivity, hostility, emotion dysregulation, and aggressive temperament. Finally, consensual sexting was not significantly associated with poor psychosocial health of any type. Interventions should focus on preventing pressured sexting and teaching early adolescents on how to respond to being pressured to sext.