HeartMath for Youth Resiliency and Violence Prevention--A Community-Based Randomized Controlled Trial

摘要 减少遭受虐待和忽视儿童的风险并建立青年的复原力（国际气候行动网络），青年 暴力，青少年约会暴力（TDV），性侵犯和自我伤害/自杀需要 全社会的干预。减少特定类型暴力行为的有针对性的办法包括 代价高昂，忽略了暴力的重叠。此外，现存的个人干预措施在很大程度上依赖于 关于认知训练该项目将通过实地实验提供科学依据 关于普遍的创伤知情预防干预措施HeartMath的有效性， 青年复原力和暴力预防，以建立青年复原力和防止多重 影响儿童的暴力形式。HeartMath研究所将提供教师培训 和4.5个月的学生干预，同时进行在线家长培训， 基本的神经生理学概念和技术，以建立弹性，减少压力，并减少 参与暴力。开发基于神经生理学的通用干预 影响青年、教育工作者和家庭的科学有可能简化以学校为基础的教育， 有效预防暴力的资源，从而节省成本和时间的学术目标， 为受虐待和被忽视的青年提供基本技能，以打破暴力循环。中 为期一年的随机对照试验，我们将测试学生主效应、亚组效应， 青少年暴露于虐待和忽视在家里，和教育工作者的影响，该计划的弹性 和青年暴力的结果。德克萨斯州第六区40所学校的八年级教育工作者， 学生和学生家庭是目标群体。学校将被随机分配到 普遍治疗或对照，每所学校2-3个随机教室（n= 1 800名学生） 选择进行评估。数据来源是基线和后续的学生和教育工作者调查 和心率变异性（一种非侵入性的弹性生物测量方法， 培训的组成部分）、关于技术使用的过程数据和实践日志。NORC将 与合作伙伴UTMB一起领导评估，收集现场数据。假设是， HeartMath将导致显着（1）增加学生和教师的弹性和减少 青少年接触CAN和参与青少年暴力，性暴力，TDV和自杀 （2）与同龄学生相比，具有CAN历史的学生具有更大的程序效果; 和（3）更大的教育者弹性和指导技能，以调查作为有能力的监护人， 学生将通过多层次结构方程模型评估结果， 代表CAN暴露、弹性和暴力概况的潜在变量。产品包括 最后报告、同行评审的文章和面向从业人员的多层次传播计划。

ABSTRACT Reducing exposure and building youth resiliency to child abuse and neglect (CAN), youth violence, teen dating violence (TDV), sexual assault, and self-harm/suicidality requires community-wide interventions. Targeted approaches to reduce specific subtypes of violence are costly, missing the overlap across violence. Further, extant individual interventions rely heavily on cognitive training. This project will provide scientific evidence through a field experiment concerning the effectiveness of a universal trauma-informed prevention intervention, HeartMath for Youth Resiliency and Violence Prevention, to build youth resiliency and prevent multiple forms of violence impacting children. The HeartMath Institute will deliver the teacher training and 4.5 month student intervention supported by a concurrent online parent training to teach basic neurophysiology concepts and techniques to build resilience, reduce stress, and reduce involvement in violence. Developing a universal intervention based on neurophysiological science to impact youth, educators, and families has the potential to streamline school-based resources for efficient violence prevention, thus saving costs and time for academic goals and providing fundamental skills for abused and neglected youth to break cycles of violence. In a one-year randomized controlled trial, we will test student main effects, subgroup effects for youth exposed to abuse and neglect at home, and educator effects of the program on resiliency and youth violence outcomes. Eighth grade educators in 40 schools in Texas Region 6, their students, and students' families are the target community. Schools will be randomized to universal treatment or control, and 2-3 random classrooms per school (n=1,800 students) selected for evaluation. Data sources are baseline and follow-up student and educator surveys and heart rate variability (a noninvasive biomeasure of resilience, and a key biofeedback component of the training), process data on technology usage, and practice logs. NORC will lead the evaluation with partner UTMB collecting on-site data. The hypotheses are that HeartMath will result in significantly (1) increased student and teacher resiliency and reductions in youth exposure to CAN and involvement in youth violence, sexual violence, TDV, and suicidal ideation; (2) greater program effects for students with CAN histories compared to peer students; and (3) greater educator resiliency and mentoring skills to survey as capable guardians for students. Outcomes will be assessed via multi-level structural equation models that estimate latent variables representing CAN exposure, resiliency, and violence profiles. Products include a final report, peer-reviewed articles, and a multi-tier dissemination plan for practitioners.