A Stage-Based Expert System for Teen Dating Violence Prevention

Summary

Male-to-female intimate partner violence accounts for 26% of violence-related injuries in women presenting in hospital emergency departments and 33% of all female homicides. Adolescence provides an excellent "window of opportunity" for the prevention of intimate partner violence. Patterns of relating in intimate relationships are still relatively undifferentiated and open to influence. However, the evidence supporting traditional, school-based programs for the prevention of teen dating violence is mixed. A major problem with existing programs is that they are "one size fits all," making it difficult to meet the diverse needs of students-boys and girls, individuals who are dating and those who are not, individuals who have experienced dating violence as a victim, perpetrator, or both, and those who have not. Perhaps most importantly, these interventions neglect individual differences in readiness to use healthy, non-violent ways of relating to stay violence-free. In Phase I the objective was to use expert system technology to integrate best practices for teen dating violence prevention with the Transtheoretical Model of Behavior Change (TTM), the "stage model," to develop an interactive, multimedia computer-administered change program that delivers individualized intervention sessions and exercises tailored to stage of change and other individual characteristics. In Phase II, the objective was to complete development of the intervention package and assess its efficacy in a randomized clinical trial involving 3,901 teens from 20 Rhode Island high schools randomly assigned to intervention or comparison. Among youth exposed to risk for dating violence, efficacy was assessed by comparing the intervention and comparison groups on dating violence perpetration and victimization at follow-up. Among youth not exposed to risk for dating violence, efficacy was assessed by comparing intervention and comparison on peer violence perpetration and victimization.

Conditions

• Violence
• Bullying

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Teen Choices: A Program for Healthy Nonviolent Relationships

A 3-session online, multimedia TTM-based intervention for teen dating violence prevention. For most students, the intervention seeks to reduce risk for dating violence by facilitating progress through the stages of change for using healthy relationship skills; daters are encouraged to use those skills in their dating relationships, and non-daters in their peer relationships, as relationships with peers serve as the foundation for experiences in romantic relationships. For victims of dating violence experiencing fear, the intervention does not focus on healthy relationship skills; instead, it seeks to facilitate progress through the stages of change for keeping oneself safe in relationships.

BEHAVIORAL

Health In Motion

A 3-session online, multimedia, TTM-based intervention which targets physical activity, screen time, and healthy eating for obesity prevention. Health In Motion sessions were administered following the baseline, 6-month, and 12-month assessments to increase the benefits of study participation for Comparison schools and students.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Pro-Change Behavior Systems

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Deborah A Levesque, Ph.D. · Pro-Change Behavior Systems, Inc.

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2009-09-30

Primary Completion

2010-12-31

Completion

2010-12-31