Violence Prevention Strategies for Youth Violence

Age: Any Age

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Virginia Commonwealth University

Disqualifiers: Limited English proficiency, Prisoners, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: Unknown

3390 Participants Needed

Trial Summary

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications.

What data supports the effectiveness of the treatment Emerging Leaders, PAR - the SEED Method, PAR-Youth Voices for youth violence prevention?

The research suggests that violence prevention programs, like those involving mentorship and community partnerships, can reduce aggression and promote positive conflict resolution among youth. Additionally, involving youth in the development of interventions, as seen in participatory action research, may enhance the effectiveness of these programs. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

How is the Emerging Leaders, PAR - the SEED Method, PAR-Youth Voices treatment different from other youth violence prevention treatments?

This treatment is unique because it combines community-based and school-based programs, focusing on training key community members and peer leaders to implement violence prevention strategies. It emphasizes the role of social networks and community collaboration, which is different from other programs that may focus solely on individual behavior change or school-based interventions. ^{6 7 8 9 10}

What is the purpose of this trial?

The goal of this research study is to implement and evaluate a comprehensive community-level approach, Healthy Communities for Youth, that includes both a selective hospital-based prevention strategy, Emerging Leaders, and universal prevention strategies that increase Positive Youth Development opportunities through participatory action research, stakeholder education, community mobilization, and an overall focus on increasing community capacity for prevention. Key project aims are to evaluate the impact of Healthy Communities for Youth on community rates of youth violence using surveillance data and evaluate the impact of each violence prevention strategy on proximal outcomes including their impact on risk factors and protective processes related to multiple forms of youth violence.

Research Team

Terri Sullivan, PhD

Principal Investigator

Virginia Commonwealth University

Eligibility Criteria

This trial is for communities affected by youth violence, focusing on adolescents who have experienced domestic violence or other violent events. It aims to involve young people and community stakeholders in developing prevention strategies.

Inclusion Criteria

I am a high school student in grades 9 to 12.

Reside in one of the intervention communities (Community A and Community B) and attend the designated high school(s) serving that community (Community A or Community B)

Be able to consent/assent

Exclusion Criteria

I am between 14 and 24 years old.

I am in 8th grade or below.

Prisoners will be excluded

Timeline

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Intervention Implementation

Implementation of the Healthy Communities for Youth intervention in selected communities

12 months

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for changes in community-level violence and proximal outcomes

6 months

Control Community Training

Training and technical assistance provided to the control community

End of project

Treatment Details

Interventions

• Emerging Leaders
• PAR - the SEED Method
• PAR-Youth Voices

Trial Overview The study tests 'Healthy Communities for Youth', a program combining the Emerging Leaders hospital-based intervention with universal strategies like participatory action research (PAR) to promote positive development and reduce youth violence.

Participant Groups

Group I: Community B Experimental Treatment 3 Interventions

Group II: Community A Experimental Treatment 3 Interventions

Group III: Community C Active Control 1 Intervention

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Virginia Commonwealth University

Lead Sponsor

Trials

732

Recruited

22,900,000+

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Collaborator

Trials

902

Recruited

25,020,000+

Findings from Research

In a study involving 15 youth victims of violence and 9 crime victim specialists, both groups preferred visual representations of patient-reported outcomes (PROs) with high color-shading and descriptive elements, indicating a strong interest in engaging formats for data presentation.

The most valued domains for PROs included social, anger, emotional, school, physical, peer relations, and psychosocial well-being, while there was less interest in domains like positive affect and depression, highlighting specific areas of focus for future violence intervention programming.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Youth victim perspective: optimizing presentation of patient-reported outcomes in a violence intervention program. Hollo, A., Nimmer, M., Cheaton, B., et al.[2023]

A youth violence prevention curriculum was developed for healthcare providers at John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital through a collaborative effort with community practitioners, highlighting the importance of community engagement in healthcare.

The curriculum was evaluated by 49 participants, showing a strong interest in skill development and knowledge improvement, demonstrating how healthcare professionals can effectively address community issues like youth violence.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Youth violence prevention curriculum evaluation: outcomes of a Cook County, Illinois community based partnership. Zanoni, J., Avila, S., Murray, LR., et al.[2011]

The Richmond Youth Against Violence Project, a 16-session program for middle school students, aims to reduce violence by teaching conflict resolution and promoting positive behaviors, particularly in high-risk communities.

Initial findings indicate that a significant number of students, especially boys, have been exposed to community violence and engaged in risk behaviors, highlighting the need for effective violence prevention strategies in these environments.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Richmond youth against violence: a school-based program for urban adolescents. Farrell, AD., Meyer, AL., Dahlberg, LL.[2022]

References

1. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Youth victim perspective: optimizing presentation of patient-reported outcomes in a violence intervention program. [2023]

2. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A hospital-based violence prevention tour: a collaborative approach to empower youth. [2019]

3. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Effectiveness of a mentor-implemented, violence prevention intervention for assault-injured youths presenting to the emergency department: results of a randomized trial. [2022]

4. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Youth violence prevention curriculum evaluation: outcomes of a Cook County, Illinois community based partnership. [2011]

5. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Co-designing obesity prevention interventions together with children: intervention mapping meets youth-led participatory action research. [2023]

6. Netherlands pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Peer and community leader education to prevent youth violence. [2022]

7. Netherlands pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Richmond youth against violence: a school-based program for urban adolescents. [2022]

8. Netherlands pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Supporting Adolescents with Guidance and Employment (SAGE). [2022]

9. Mexico pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

[Youth violence prevention, what works?]. [2008]

10. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Using process evaluation to strengthen intergenerational partnerships in the Youth Empowerment Solutions program. [2022]