Mentor-implemented Violence Prevention Intervention for Assault-injured Youth

Mentor-implemented violence prevention intervention

for assault-injured youth

OVERVIEW

The Mentor-implemented Violence Prevention Intervention for Assault-injured Youth program is designed to reduce aggression, fighting, and re-injury among youth injured through interpersonal violence. The intervention group received a mentor and the family received up to three home visits. An evaluation at the 6-month follow-up period found significant increases on conflict avoidance self-efficacy and significant decreases on misdemeanor behaviors. However, there were no impacts on number of fight injuries, number of fights, weapon carrying, aggression, friend problem behaviors, attitudes about interpersonal violence, attitudes toward retaliation, social competence, and parent report child aggression.

DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM

Target population: Assault-injured youth.

The Mentor-implemented Violence Prevention Intervention for Assault-injured Youth program is designed to reduce aggression, fighting, and re-injury among violently-injured youth presenting to an Emergency Department. This mentoring program incorporates components of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) best practices of youth violence, which include mentoring relationships, home visitation, involvement of parents, and applying a social-cognitive approach.

Youth in the intervention group receive a mentor, who is to meet with the youth at least six times. Mentors are recruited from a local mentoring organization. Eligible mentors are between 21 and 50 years of age with a history of working with youth. Mentors receive extensive training on how to be an effective mentor and how to follow the curriculum. During the mentoring relationship, mentors receive supervision from program staff. Mentor-mentee pairings are gender-matched and most matches are one-on-one pairings.

Mentor-mentee activities occur in the community, and mentors receive a $240 stipend for their time and to cover activity expenses. During these visits, mentors and mentees complete a 6-session, violence prevention curriculum focusing on skills building. The curriculum is grounded in social-cognitive theory and focuses on conflict management, problem-solving, weapon safety, decision-making, and goal-setting. The curriculum also includes interactive activities, role-playing scenarios, and a pledge to remain nonviolent.

Parents of youth enrolled in the intervention are offered three home visits from a health educator. The parent curriculum include sessions reviewing topics covered in the youth curriculum and sessions on parental monitoring and involvement, based on the Adolescent Transitions Program curriculum.

EVALUATION(S) OF PROGRAM

Cheng TL, Haynie D, Brenner R, Wright JL, Chung S, Simons-Morton B. (2008). Effectiveness of a mentor-implemented, violence prevention intervention for assault-injured youths presenting to the emergency department: Results of a randomized trial. Pediatrics, 122: 938-946.

Evaluated population: A total of 113 youth 10-15 years of age, and their families, who presented to two participating Emergency Departments (ED) in the Washington, DC-Baltimore, MD area with interpersonal assault injuries. Youth enrolled in the intervention group were, on average, 13 years of age; 66% of intervention youth were male.

Approach: Program recruitment occurred in the ED, hospital, or by telephone between August 2001 and August 2004. After completing a baseline assessment in the ED, youth were randomly assigned to the intervention group (n=56) or to the control group (n=57). Families in both intervention and control groups received case management services; however, intervention families received this service through the health educator and control families received this service through two telephone calls.

Youth were assessed on a variety of behavioral and attitudinal measures, including: number of fights, number of fight injuries, weapon carrying, misdemeanor problem behavior, friend problem behavior, aggression, attitudes about interpersonal violence, attitudes about retaliation, social competence, and self-efficacy. Families were provided with incentives after completing the baseline ($20) and 6-month assessment ($30).

Results: At the six-month follow-up, the program resulted in increases in conflict avoidance self-efficacy and significant decreases in the frequency of misdemeanor behaviors, such as damaging property and stealing from a store. However, there were no impacts on number of fight injuries, number of fights, weapon carrying, aggression, friend problem behaviors, attitudes about interpersonal violence, attitudes toward retaliation, social competence, and parent report child aggression.

SOURCES FOR MORE INFORMATION:

For more information about the CDC's Best Practices of Youth Violence Prevention, please see:

Thornton TN, Craft CA, Dahlberg LL, Lynch BS, Baer. (2002). Best Practices of Youth Violence Prevention: A Sourcebook for Community Action. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/dvp/bestpractices.htm.

References:

SUMMARY & CATEGORIZATION

Program categorized in this guide according to the following:

Evaluated participant ages: 10-14 / Program age ranges in the Guide: 6-11, 12-14

Program components: Community-based, Parent/family, Mentoring, Home Visiting

Measured outcomes: Aggression/Violence/Bullying

KEYWORDS: Children (3-11), Adolescents (12-17), Clinic-based, Community-based, Mentoring, Home Visitation, High-Risk, Conduct/Disruptive Disorder, Skills Training, Family Therapy, Life Skills, Parent-child Relationship, Parent Management Skills

Program information last updated 10/8/09.

		© Child Trends 2003