Effective prevention of intimate partner violence (IPV) among adolescents and young adults is a key strategy for reducing rates of gender-based violence (GBV). Numerous initiatives have been developed and evaluated over the past 25 years. There is emerging evidence about effective strategies for universal prevention of dating violence in high school settings and effective bystander interventions on university and college campuses. In addition, there have been some effective practices identified for specific groups of youth who are vulnerable to victimization (either based on past experiences of exposure to domestic violence or previous dating victimization). At the same time, though our evidence about school and college-based interventions has grown, there are significant gaps in our knowledge of effective prevention among marginalized groups. For example, there is a lack of evidence-based strategies for preventing IPV among Indigenous youth; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning+ [LGBTQ+] youth; and young women with disabilities, even though these groups are at elevated risk for experiencing violence. Our review of the current state of evidence for effective GBV prevention among adolescents and young adults suggests significant gaps. Our analysis of these gaps highlights the need to think more broadly about what constitutes evidence. We identify some strategies and a call to action for moving the field forward and provide examples from our work with vulnerable youth in a variety of settings.

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1077801218815778

Preventing Gender-Based Violence Among Adolescents and Young Adults: Lessons From 25 Years of Program Development and Evaluation:

Background: Treatment of offenders in forensic mental health is complex. Often, these in- or outpatients have low treatment motivation, suffer from multiple disorders, and have poor literacy skills. eHealth may be able to improve treatment outcomes because of its potential to increase motivation and engagement, and it can overcome the predominant one-size-fits-all approach by being tailored to individual patients. Objective: In order to examine its potential, this systematic review studies the way that eHealth has been used and studied in forensic mental health and identifies accompanying advantages and disadvantages for both patients and treatment, including effectiveness. Methods: A systematic search in Scopus, PsycINFO and Web of Science was performed up until December 2017. Studies were included if they focused on technological interventions to improve the treatment of forensic psychiatric patients. Results: The search resulted in 50 studies in which eHealth was used for treatment purposes. Multiple types of studies and technologies were identified, such as virtual reality, web-based interventions and videoconferencing. The results confirmed the benefits of technology, for example the acquisition of unique information about offenders, effectiveness, and tailoring to specific characteristics, but indicated that these are not fully taken advantage of. Discussion: To overcome the barriers and obtain the benefits, eHealth has to have a good fit with patients and the forensic psychiatric context. It has to be seamlessly integrated in existing care and should not be added as an isolated element. In order to bridge the gap between the current situation and eHealth’s potential, further research on development, implementation and evaluation should be conducted.

/pdf/ehealth-in-treatment-of-offenders-in-forensic-mental-health-504keodjms.pdf

eHealth in Treatment of Offenders in Forensic Mental Health: A Review of the Current State.

Gender Identity, Sexual Orientation, Mental Health, and Bullying as Predictors of Partner Violence in a Representative Sample of Youth.

OBJECTIVES: With our study we aimed to (1) understand what factors uniquely conferred risk for physical and sexual forms of teen dating violence (TDV) perpetration and (2) create a screening algorithm to quantify perpetration risk on the basis of these factors. METHODS: A total of 1031 diverse public high school students living in Southeast Texas participated in our study (56% female; 29% African American, 28% white, and 31% Hispanic). Self-report measures concerning TDV and associated risk factors were completed annually for 6 years. RESULTS: Results suggested that family violence (domestic violence exposure, maltreatment) together with deficits in conflict resolution incrementally improved our forecasts above and beyond lifetime history of physical TDV perpetration (net reclassification improvement = 0.44; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.30–0.59). Meanwhile, a violent dating history (TDV sexual perpetration, sexual victimization, and emotional perpetration) and acceptance of TDV incrementally improved our models for forecasting sexual forms of perpetration (net reclassification improvement = 0.41; 95% CI = 0.24–0.58). These models adequately discriminated between future perpetrators and nonoffenders (area under the curve statistic >0.70; 95% CI: 0.69–0.74). Overall, adolescents with positive test results on our algorithms were over twice as likely to perpetrate dating violence over the course of 6 years. CONCLUSIONS: Our study represents one of the first applications of reclassification analyses to psychosocial research in a pediatric population. The result is a theoretically informed, empirically based algorithm that can adequately estimate the likelihood of physical and sexual TDV perpetration during vulnerable developmental periods. These findings can immediately aid emerging preventive initiatives for this increasing public health concern.

Predicting teen dating violence perpetration

This meta-analysis examines the efficacy of programs at increasing knowledge about dating violence, changing attitudes, increasing bystander behaviors, and reducing incidents of dating violence perpetration and victimization. A systematic search yielded 38 studies contributing 73 independent effect sizes. Studies were pooled by outcome measure and ten moderators were used to examine the impacts of program and study characteristics. Prevention programs had a significant, positive impact on measures of knowledge (ES = 0.566, z = 3.59), attitudes (ES = 0.191, z = 3.88), and violence perpetration (ES = .157, z = 3.11), but did not significantly impact experiences of victimization or bystander behaviors. Results indicate that dating violence prevention programs are effective at improving knowledge, attitudes, and some behaviors, providing support for the continued implementation of these programs with adolescent populations. Future research should investigate the impact of specific program content and long-term behavioral outcomes.

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

OBJECTIVE: Teen dating violence is a serious public health problem. A cluster-randomized trial was conducted to assess the efficacy of Teen Choices, a 3-session online program that delivers assessments and individualized guidance matched to dating history, dating violence experiences, and stage of readiness for using healthy relationship skills. For high risk victims of dating violence, the program addresses readiness to keep oneself safe in relationships. METHOD: Twenty high schools were randomly assigned to the Teen Choices condition (n=2,000) or a Comparison condition (n=1,901). Emotional and physical dating violence victimization and perpetration were assessed at 6 and 12 months in the subset of participants (total n=2,605) who reported a past-year history of dating violence at baseline, and/or who dated during the study. RESULTS: The Teen Choices program was associated with significantly reduced odds of all four types of dating violence (adjusted ORs ranging from.45 to.63 at 12 months follow-up). For three of the four violence outcomes, participants with a past-year history of that type of violence benefited significantly more from the intervention than students without a past-year history. CONCLUSIONS: The Teen Choices program provides an effective and practicable strategy for intervention for teen dating violence prevention. Language: en

Teen Dating Violence Prevention: Cluster-Randomized Trial of Teen Choices, an Online, Stage-Based Program for Healthy, Nonviolent Relationships.

Studies assessing the efficacy of juvenile justice interventions show small effects on recidivism and other outcomes. This paper describes the development of a prototype of a multimedia computer-tailored intervention ("Rise Above Your Situation"or RAYS) that relies on an evidence-based model of behavior change, the Transtheoretical Model, and expert system technology to deliver assessments, feedback, printed reports, and counselor reports with intervention ideas. In a feasibility test involving 60 system-involved youths and their counselors, evaluations of the program were favorable: 91.7% of youths agreed that the program could help them make positive changes, and 86.7% agreed that the program could give their counselor helpful information about them.

Carol A. Welch

Papers

Teen Dating Violence Prevention: Cluster-Randomized Trial of Teen Choices, an Online, Stage-Based Program for Healthy, Nonviolent Relationships.

Computer-Tailored Intervention for Juvenile Offenders