TY - JOUR
T1 - A dating violence prevention program for middle school youth
T2 - A cluster randomized trial
AU - Temple, Jeff R.
AU - Baumler, Elizabeth
AU - Wood, Leila
AU - Thiel, Melanie
AU - Peskin, Melissa
AU - Torres, Elizabeth
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 American Academy of Pediatrics. All rights reserved.
PY - 2021/11/1
Y1 - 2021/11/1
N2 - OBJECTIVES: We conducted a cluster randomized controlled trial to test the a priori hypothesis that students attending an interventionmiddle schoolwould be less likely to report physical adolescent relationship abuse (ARA) 1 year later comparedwith students attending a control school. Secondary objectiveswere to determine if the intervention reduced substancemisuse, bullying, and fighting. METHODS: Twenty-four Texas publicmiddle schoolswerematched 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 (n5 12; 1237 participants) or the control (n5 12; 1531participants) group. The intervention, Fourth R, is a classroom-based curriculumdelivered by existing teachers and consists of 21 lessons on injury prevention, substance use, and growth and development. RESULTS: 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 5 14.9% versus control 5 18.3%) relative to students in the control schools (adjusted odds ratio, 0.66; 95% confidence interval, 0.43-1.00; P 5 .05). In the overall sample, no significant differences emerged between control and intervention groups with respect to substance misuse, fighting, and bullying. CONCLUSIONS: Themiddle school versionof 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 substancemisuse. Long-termassessment, especially follow-up that covers the transition to high school, is needed to examine the program benefit on key outcomes.
AB - OBJECTIVES: We conducted a cluster randomized controlled trial to test the a priori hypothesis that students attending an interventionmiddle schoolwould be less likely to report physical adolescent relationship abuse (ARA) 1 year later comparedwith students attending a control school. Secondary objectiveswere to determine if the intervention reduced substancemisuse, bullying, and fighting. METHODS: Twenty-four Texas publicmiddle schoolswerematched 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 (n5 12; 1237 participants) or the control (n5 12; 1531participants) group. The intervention, Fourth R, is a classroom-based curriculumdelivered by existing teachers and consists of 21 lessons on injury prevention, substance use, and growth and development. RESULTS: 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 5 14.9% versus control 5 18.3%) relative to students in the control schools (adjusted odds ratio, 0.66; 95% confidence interval, 0.43-1.00; P 5 .05). In the overall sample, no significant differences emerged between control and intervention groups with respect to substance misuse, fighting, and bullying. CONCLUSIONS: Themiddle school versionof 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 substancemisuse. Long-termassessment, especially follow-up that covers the transition to high school, is needed to examine the program benefit on key outcomes.
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U2 - 10.1542/peds.2021-052880
DO - 10.1542/peds.2021-052880
M3 - Article
C2 - 34615696
AN - SCOPUS:85118788482
SN - 0031-4005
VL - 148
JO - Pediatrics
JF - Pediatrics
IS - 5
M1 - e2021052880
ER -