School Based Program to Prevent Teen Dating Violence

NCT ID: NCT02909673

Last Updated: 2025-12-22

Study Results

Results available

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Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

3028 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2018-01-18

Study Completion Date

2023-12-07

Brief Summary

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This study is a school-based trial of the 7th grade version of Fourth R, a promising teen dating violence prevention program, with 24 ethnically diverse middle schools in one of the nation's largest school districts to determine the impact of the program by comparing students in intervention schools with those in control schools.

Detailed Description

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The prevalence of teen dating violence (TDV), as well as the adverse mental, physical, and relationship health outcomes associated with it, underscores the need for effective TDV prevention programs, of which there are few.

The study will evaluate a new 7th-grade version of Fourth R, which has been rewritten to be developmentally appropriate and correspond to national health standards for this younger age. The 7th-grade version of Fourth R is innovative because it emphasizes socio-emotional learning, includes lessons on mental health, and addresses technology and cyber TDV. These additional components will strengthen the core social-emotional competencies of youth, competencies that are critical for the creation of healthy relationships and avoidance of unhealthy ones. A TDV prevention program aimed at promoting healthy relationships at this developmentally important age holds tremendous promise.

The primary aim is to determine whether Fourth R reduces students' TDV, as indexed by less perpetration and victimization of physical, sexual, and psychological TDV, relative to students in control schools.

The secondary aims are to determine whether Fourth R, relative to control, 1) improves students' \[relationship quality\], emotional well-being, and increases their acquisition and use of healthy relationship skills, as indexed by improved problem-solving, communication, and conflict resolution skills; 2) ameliorates the modifiable cognitive and behavioral correlates associated with the perpetration and victimization of TDV, as indexed by fewer attitudes justifying dating violence, decreased substance use, risky sexual behavior, fighting, and bullying, increased school connectedness, improved academic performance, and decreased psychological symptoms; and \[3) improves school climate as indexed by student, teacher, and staff reports of school environment as it relates to healthy relationships and TDV; and by reductions in school disciplinary actions related to violence, substance use, and academic failure\]. Prespecified differences by gender and ethnicity will be examined, as well as the acquisition and utilization of various program components.

Conditions

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Violence

Keywords

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adolescent behavior intimate partner violence youth risk behavior violence prevention teen dating violence

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

PREVENTION

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

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Fourth R

Fourth R: 27 lesson curriculum addressing youth risk and health promoting behaviors

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Fourth R

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Fourth R integrates the promotion of healthy relationship skills and prevention of teen dating violence into existing school curricula so that students receive regular course credit in health. Fourth R is grounded in social cognitive theory in which youth learn to formulate and choose behavior strategies, which translate into knowledge and practice in decision-making, non-aggressive conflict resolution skills, and self-efficacy..

Control

Control: Treatment as usual (standard health class curriculum)

Group Type NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

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Fourth R

Fourth R integrates the promotion of healthy relationship skills and prevention of teen dating violence into existing school curricula so that students receive regular course credit in health. Fourth R is grounded in social cognitive theory in which youth learn to formulate and choose behavior strategies, which translate into knowledge and practice in decision-making, non-aggressive conflict resolution skills, and self-efficacy..

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Attending 7th grade health class in Houston area middle schools

Exclusion Criteria

* n/a
Minimum Eligible Age

11 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

15 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sponsors

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The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

NIH

Sponsor Role collaborator

The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

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Jeff R Temple, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

UTMB

Locations

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Houston Independent School District

Houston, Texas, United States

Site Status

Fort Bend Independent School District

Sugar Land, Texas, United States

Site Status

Countries

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United States

References

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Temple JR, Baumler E, Wood L, Thiel M, Peskin M, Torres E. A Dating Violence Prevention Program for Middle School Youth: A Cluster Randomized Trial. Pediatrics. 2021 Nov;148(5):e2021052880. doi: 10.1542/peds.2021-052880. Epub 2021 Oct 6.

Reference Type RESULT
PMID: 34615696 (View on PubMed)

Provided Documents

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Document Type: Study Protocol and Statistical Analysis Plan

View Document

Other Identifiers

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R01HD083445

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: secondary_id

View Link

15-0198

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id