Adolescent Behavior, Communication, Personal, Coping Skills, Emotional Abuse, Group, Peer, Violence, Domestic, Violence, Non-accidental, Violence, Sexual
Conditions
Brief summary
This cluster-randomized community-partnered study will examine the effectiveness of a trauma-sensitive, gender transformative youth violence prevention program called Creating Peace that integrates racism and discrimination prevention with youth ages 14-19.
Detailed description
This community-partnered cluster-randomized controlled trial will examine the effectiveness of a trauma-sensitive, gender-transformative youth violence prevention program that integrates racism and discrimination prevention. Set in 24 neighborhoods in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with concentrated social and economic disadvantage, this study addresses gender and racial injustice through a series of group discussions, bringing together adolescents ages 14-19 with law enforcement officers in a process of social restoration.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALCreating Peace
Creating Peace is a 12 session curriculum designed to support youth ages 14-19 in healing from experiences of trauma by restoring social connections, strengthening positive coping strategies that exclude all forms of violence, challenging gender norms that foster violence perpetration, and practicing positive bystander intervention skills to intervene safely with peers' disrespectful and harmful behaviors. Through 12 sessions (3 hours/session) over a 4 to 12 week period, Creating Peace offers gender transformative content combined with youth leadership development. Near program conclusion, youth will offer guidance to law enforcement on interacting with youth in a process of social restoration.
BEHAVIORALJob Readiness
Job Readiness Training uses a group discussion format to learn specific skills to prepare for employment including developing goals, seeking jobs, preparing for interviews, and so forth.
Sponsors
University of Pittsburgh
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Intervention model description
This cluster-randomized community-partnered study will examine the effectiveness of a trauma-sensitive, gender transformative youth violence prevention program called Creating Peace that integrates racism and discrimination prevention among youth ages 14-19. The study will be located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania across 24 neighborhoods with concentrated disadvantage ('clusters'), randomized either to receive the "Creating Peace" program (i.e., intervention neighborhood, n=12) or to a job skills training program (n=12 schools).
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
14 Years to 19 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Participants must be ages 14-19 (inclusive) * Participants must speak English
Exclusion criteria
* Not ages 14-19 (inclusive) * Do not speak English
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in recent use of any violence at 3 months | At baseline and three months after program conclusion | Summary score of any recent use of violence (physical, sexual, and emotional abuse; sexual violence; physical violence and threatening with a weapon; cyber dating abuse, cyber peer abuse, and sexting) calculated as one point for each behavior then summed (lower score indicates better outcome) |
| Change in recent use of any violence at 9 months | At baseline and nine months after program. | Summary score of any recent use of violence (physical, sexual, and emotional abuse; sexual violence; physical violence and threatening with a weapon; cyber dating abuse, cyber peer abuse, and sexting) calculated as one point for each behavior then summed (lower score indicates better outcome) |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in past 30 day weapon carrying at 3 months | At baseline and three months after program conclusion | Self-reported number of days they carried a weapon in past 30 days |
| Change in past 30 day weapon carrying at 9 months | At baseline and nine months after program conclusion | Self-reported number of days they carried a weapon in past 30 days |
| Change in positive bystander behaviors at 3 months | At baseline and three months after program conclusion | Past 3 month positive bystander behavior when witnessing disrespectful and harmful behavior among peers comparing baseline and follow up summary scores. Participants report if they have witnessed peers' abusive behaviors in the past 3 months and if witnessed, how they responded (whether they intervened to interrupt the behavior, provided support to person being harmed). |
| Change in positive bystander behaviors at 9 months | At baseline and nine months after program conclusion | Past 3 month positive bystander behavior when witnessing disrespectful and harmful behavior among peers comparing baseline and follow up summary scores. Participants report if they have witnessed peers' abusive behaviors in the past 3 months and if witnessed, how they responded (whether they intervened to interrupt the behavior, provided support to person being harmed). |
Countries
United States
Contacts
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORElizabeth Miller, MD, PhD
University of Pittsburgh
Outcome results
None listed