Effects of the Dating Matters® Comprehensive Prevention Model on Health- and Delinquency-Related Risk Behaviors in Middle School Youth: a Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial

Teen dating violence (TDV) is associated with a variety of delinquent behaviors, such as theft, and health- and delinquency-related risk behaviors, including alcohol use, substance abuse, and weapon carrying. These behaviors may co-occur due to shared risk factors. Thus, comprehensive TDV-focused pr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Prevention science 2021-02, Vol.22 (2), p.163-174
Main Authors:	Estefan, Lianne Fuino, Vivolo-Kantor, Alana M., Niolon, Phyllis Holditch, Le, Vi D., Tracy, Allison J., Little, Todd D., DeGue, Sarah, Latzman, Natasha E., Tharp, Andra, Lang, Kyle M., McIntosh, Wendy LiKamWa
Format:	Article
Language:	eng
Subjects:	Alcohol abuse Alcohol use Behavior Child and School Psychology Clinical trials Dating Drug abuse Health Health care Health Psychology Intimate partner violence Juvenile delinquency Medicine Medicine & Public Health Middle school students Middle schools Missing data Multiple imputation Prevention Prevention programs Public Health Risk behavior Risk factors Students Substance abuse Theft
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Summary:	Teen dating violence (TDV) is associated with a variety of delinquent behaviors, such as theft, and health- and delinquency-related risk behaviors, including alcohol use, substance abuse, and weapon carrying. These behaviors may co-occur due to shared risk factors. Thus, comprehensive TDV-focused prevention programs may also impact these other risk behaviors. This study examined the effectiveness of CDC’s Dating Matters®: Strategies to Promote Healthy Teen Relationships (Dating Matters) comprehensive TDV prevention model compared to a standard-of-care condition on health- and delinquency-related risk behaviors among middle school students. Students ( N = 3301; 53% female; 50% black, non-Hispanic; and 31% Hispanic) in 46 middle schools in four sites across the USA were surveyed twice yearly in 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. A structural equation modeling framework with multiple imputation to account for missing data was utilized. On average over time, students receiving Dating Matters scored 9% lower on a measure of weapon carrying, 9% lower on a measure of alcohol and substance abuse, and 8% lower on a measure of delinquency by the end of middle school than students receiving an evidence-based standard-of-care TDV prevention program. Dating Matters demonstrated protective effects for most groups of students through the end of middle school. These results suggest that this comprehensive model is successful at preventing risk behaviors associated with TDV. clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01672541
ISSN:	1389-4986 1573-6695