Youth Empowerment Solutions for Healthy Relationships: Engaging Youth to Prevent Sexual Violence

摘要 性暴力(SV)和青少年约会暴力(TDV)是美国重大的公共卫生问题 各州。在密歇根州，据报道有5500起性侵事件，其中超过20%发生在韦恩县。 2009年，密歇根州警方接到了10万多起家庭暴力犯罪的报告，然而 包括性别、种族和社会经济地位影响联系法律制度的决定。理解 在预防中可能有效的可改变的保护因素是必不可少的，包括社会规范和 社会连通性，以及如何在特定背景的方法中利用这些来预防IPV和SV。 研究的目的是适应、实施和评估以经验为基础的发展 针对SV和TDV实施的适当的主要预防战略，重点是影响社区层面 通过青年赋权和积极青年发展来建立社会连通性，提高 旁观者干预，完善社会规范。技术在TDV和SV中的作用以及性别 关于暴力意志的机制、意义和背景的相似和不同的敏感镜头 接受检查。中心假设是以学生为主导的初级预防战略，重点是社会 在中学环境中实施的规范以及学校和社区的联系将在#年有效 降低SV和TDV的发生率。 通过一组随机试验，建议的研究试图理清SV和IPV之间的关系 实施、青年赋权、社会联系和社会规范。干预和研究将 与密歇根州韦恩县的六所高中合作进行，包括焦点小组， 过程观察，一年两次的调查研究。这种干预将注入到学校内部 课程作为九年级和十年级学生的选修课。为青少年提供同意和家长支持的学生 同意调查将在三年内进行六次，从九年级和十年级开始。青年与父母 将被招募参加焦点小组，以告知干预战略的适应情况并提供 对调查研究有更好的理解。我们会采取广泛的措施保密。 研究参与者的身份。每年年底，将进行数据共享和口译协助 在研究小组和干预学校之间的合作下，加强基础设施。干预 并将在项目结束时向比较学校提供培训和能力建设，以促进 可持续发展。 将使用分层线性模型和结构方程模型进行分析。嵌套的模型 分析研究变量的层次性质的结构将用于估计 个人、关系、学校和社区层面的IPV和SV实施的风险和保护因素。一个 2,000个初始样本是理想的，尽管有磨损，但有足够的能力进行复杂的分析。

ABSTRACT Sexual Violence (SV) and Teen Dating Violence (TDV) are significant public health concerns in the United States. Within Michigan, 5,500 sexual assaults were reported, more that 20% of which occur in Wayne County. More than 100,000 domestic violence offenses were reported to police in Michigan in 2009, however factors including gender, race, and socio-economic status influence decisions to contact legal systems. Understanding modifiable protective factors that may be efficacious in prevention is essential, including social norms and social connectedness, and how these may be leveraged in a context-specific approach to prevent IPV and SV. The aim of the research is to adapt, implement and evaluate an empirically-based developmentally appropriate, primary prevention strategy for SV and TDV perpetration, focused on influencing community-level change through youth empowerment and positive youth development to build social connectedness, improve bystander intervention, and improve social norms. The role of technology in TDV and SV, as well as a gender sensitive lens regarding the similarities and difference in the mechanism, meaning and context of violence will be examined. The central hypothesis is that a student-driven primary prevention strategy, focusing on social norms and school and community connectedness, implemented in middle school settings will be effective in reducing the incidence of SV and TDV. Using a group randomized trial, the proposed study seeks to disentangle relationships between SV and IPV perpetration, youth empowerment, social connectedness, and social norms. The intervention and research will be conducted in collaboration with six high schools in Wayne County, Michigan, including focus groups, process observation, and biannual survey research. The intervention will be infused within the school curriculum as an elective for ninth and tenth grades students. Students who provide youth assent and parental consent will be surveyed six times over three years, starting with the ninth and tenth grades. Youth and parents will be recruited to participate in focus groups to inform the adaptation of the intervention strategy and provide greater understanding of the survey research. Extensive measures will be taken to preserve the confidentiality of research participants. At the end of each year, data sharing and assistance with interpretation will take place in a collaboration between the research team and intervention schools to strengthen infrastructure. Intervention and comparison schools will also be provided training and capacity building at the end of the project to promote sustainability. Analysis will be conducted using hierarchical linear modeling and structural equation modeling. A nested model structure that analyzes the hierarchical nature of the study variables will be used to estimate the effects of individual, relational, school, and community-level risk and protective factors for IPV and SV perpetration. An initial sample of 2,000 is desired have adequate power for complex analysis despite attrition.