Building on youth’s strengths: A call to include adolescents in developing, implementing, and evaluating violence prevention programs.

Abstract

To review the challenges and potential benefits of involving adolescents in the development and delivery of prevention programming. Key Points and Implications: Adolescent violence prevention programs are typically designed and delivered by adults in school-based settings. However, research has highlighted a number of problems with the effectiveness and sustainability of adult-designed prevention models. In this commentary, we consider the possibility that program effectiveness might be improved if innovative, evidence-based prevention strategies could be developed to help guide adolescents in developing and delivering prevention materials themselves. To inform our discussion, we surveyed 14 adolescent peer leaders about their experiences developing and delivering violence prevention in their schools and communities. Using their input, we critically review the limitations of adult-delivered prevention, discuss the potential benefits and challenges of involving adolescents in designing and delivering violence prevention content, and suggest a number of future directions for researchers and program developers.

Trends in bullying victimization by gender among U.S. high school students

“…Other targeted evidence-based approaches include responsive parenting education (Bayrami, 2017), improved school social support (Zhang, Ra, Zhang, & Macleod, 2016), peer bystander intervention (Cook-Craig et al, 2014;Edwards, Jones, Mitchell, Hagler, & Roberts, 2016), student-initiated anti-bullying planning, implementation and program evaluation, real-time anonymous peer reporting using electronic communication (Prnewswire, 2012) and alternative activities such as Yoga (Newswise, 2012). Future research should investigate these and other approaches to prevent bullying and buffer the negative impact of bullying victimization.…”

Rural Young Adults’ Lay Theories of Intimate Partner Violence: A Qualitative Examination

“…Intimate partner violence (IPV) occurs at concerning rates and leads to a host of negative consequences to victims and communities; thus, the prevention of IPV is a public health priority (Black et al., ; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ). Yet, prevention efforts to date are limited in their effectiveness and innovation is needed (DeGue et al., ; Edwards, Jones, Mitchell, Hagler & Thomas, ; Yeager, Fong, Lee & Espelage, ). We know from decades of research on attitude and behavior change that prevention efforts are likely to be most effective to the extent they connect directly with what individuals and groups already think or find important about a problem and move them forward from there (Ambrose & Lovett, ; Petty & Cacioppo, ).…”

“…What is more, although violence prevention programs for adolescents and emerging adults are typically designed and delivered by adults in school‐based settings, there is an increasing focus on engaging adolescents as leaders in preventing violence in their communities (Edwards et al., ). Although well‐intentioned and perhaps even more impactful than traditional adult‐developed models of prevention (Edwards et al., ), adolescents and emerging adults likely develop programs based on their understandings of why IPV and related forms of violence happen in the first place, again suggesting that an understanding of laypersons’ theories of IPV among adolescents and emerging adults, is a timely and important topic in need of investigation.…”

Academic Psychiatry’s Role in Addressing Campus Sexual Assault

“…Students should be involved in designing and delivering curricula for these programs to cultivate a supportive, respectful, and consent-based culture from within their peer groups [20]. Sexual health education programs should be "student-facing" and inclusive of students of all gender identities, because sexual assault affects people of all genders and all students must be involved in shifting perceptions about sexual assault and gendered forms of socialization [21].…”

“…Prevention should be informed by routine screening for sexual assault and by measures that identify high alcohol consumption and substance use as well as other situational factors that may contribute to risk. On the basis of these assessments, academic psychiatrists should also be involved in inventing and evaluating new programs that have lasting effects in the campus community by shifting both attitudinal and behavioral norms and that are informed by specific institutional contexts and community needs [20].…”