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Completed

NCT Number: NCT01672541

Dating Matters: Strategies to Promote Healthy Teen Relationships

The Dating Matters: Strategies to Promote Healthy Teen Relationships Initiative intends to promote respectful, nonviolent dating relationships among adolescents living in high-risk, urban communities. CDC has developed a comprehensive approach to promoting respectful, non-violent relationships based on current evidence based and evidence informed strategies. This comprehensive approach includes: school-based curricula for 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students; separate parent programs for parents of 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students; a communications campaign involving social media and near-peer brand ambassadors; an online training about dating violence for educators; policy assessment at the school or community level; and development and validation of school and community level indicators of teen dating violence. Additionally, schools assigned to the comprehensive condition will also receive intensive training and technical assistance to support implementation of these components. Among 4 U.S. sites, 44 schools will be randomly assigned to implement either the Dating Matters comprehensive approach or the "standard of care" approach, which we are operationalizing as Safe Dates, a an evidence based student curriculum for 8th graders. We hypothesize that the comprehensive approach will be more effective than the standard approach at preventing the perpetration and victimization of teen dating violence over time and at promoting positive relationship behaviors over time.

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Key information

Conditions

Teen Dating Violence Healthy Dating Relationship Behaviors

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Alameda County Public Health Department, Oakland, California, United States

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About this study

Dating Matters: Strategies to Promote Healthy Teen Relationships Initiative is intended to promote respectful, nonviolent dating relationships among adolescents living in high-risk, urban communities. The objective of this project is to develop, implement, and evaluate a comprehensive approach to promoting respectful, nonviolent teen dating relationships by utilizing current evidence-based practice and experience. The focus on high-risk, urban communities is predicated on data that suggest that the prevalence of dating violence among middle school students is higher in urban communities (O'Leary & Slep, in press). Moreover, this project aims to fill a gap in our understanding of teen dating violence (TDV) prevention because existing effective TDV prevention programs have not been identified for these high-risk settings.

CDC's comprehensive approach, the Dating Matters: Strategies to Promote Healthy Teen Relationships Initiative, includes components at multiple ecological domains, individual level, family-level and broader school/community level. Specifically, the initiative includes: (1) school-based implementation of a CDC-developed healthy relationship curriculum in the 6th and 7th grade and an adaptation of an evidence based TDV curriculum (Safe Dates) in the 8th grade; (2) implementation of a 6th (Parents Matter with added TDV content), 7th (CDC developed), and 8th (Families for Safe Dates) grade parent-curriculum; (3) an on-going communications campaign implemented throughout the initiative, which includes a Brand Ambassador adolescent program; (4) educator completion of an online training on the risk factors and warning signs of TDV; (5) policy assessment and information at a school or community level; and, (6) development and validation of school and community-level indicators of TDV. In addition to these components, the schools implementing Dating Matters will also receive additional training and technical assistance in adapting these programs with surface level adaptations to make them more culturally relevant to their specific populations.

CDC is funding the local, city, or county public health departments in Chicago, Illinois, Alameda County (Oakland), California, Broward County (Ft. Lauderdale), Florida, and Baltimore, Maryland to implement the two models of TDV prevention that will be evaluated in the outcome and implementation evaluation: the comprehensive Dating Matters initiative and the standard of care model, which is Safe Dates implemented in 8th grade. These health departments collectively have identified 44 schools in high-risk urban communities; we have randomly assigned half the schools to implement the comprehensive model with intensive technical assistance and half to implement the standard of care model with basic technical assistance. These sites were awarded September 13, 2011.

The purpose of the trial is to determine the effectiveness of the comprehensive approach (Dating Matters) compared with standard practice in TDV prevention (Safe Dates only implemented in 8th grade). Outcome measures for determining effectiveness will be derived primarily from surveys with students, parents, and school educators. However, in addition to surveys, we will also be conducting focus groups with students, curriculum implementers, and brand ambassasors, as well as surveys with brand ambassadors, as sources of process, rather than outcome, measures. These process measures may be used to improve program fidelity, improve program components, or as factors in outcome analyses.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Students, parents, and educators at the schools identified for participation in the study

Exclusion criteria

  • Students and educators must be able to participate in interventions and complete surveys in English: Parents must be able to participate in interventions and complete surveys in English or Spanish. Those not able to do this due to languages spoken will be excluded.

Treatment and study plan

Dating Matters Comprehensive Approach

Behavioral

The Dating Matters Comprehensive Approach includes:

6th, 7th, and 8th grade Student Curricula; Parent Programs for parents of 6th, 7th, and 8th graders; A communications campaign involving brand ambassadors, a text message campaign, and social media campaign; An online training about teen dating violence for educators; Developmental component: A guidance document for sites on assessing and informing local policies relevant to teen dating violence for comprehensive schools (likely to be substantial cross and within site variation on this component)

Standard of Care Safe Dates Approach

Behavioral

Safe Dates curriculum for 8th grade students

Primary outcomes

  1. Perpetration of dating violence

    Time frame: 2 times per year for up to 6 years

    Student self-report of perpetration of physical, sexual, and psychological violence and/or stalking against a dating partner

  2. Victimization of dating violence

    Time frame: 2 times per year for up to 6 years

    Student self- report of victimization of physical, sexual, and psychological violence and/or stalking from a dating partner

  3. Engagement in healthy relationship behaviors

    Time frame: 2 times per year for up to 6 years

    Student self-report of engagement in healthy relationship behaviors (i.e., good communication, conflict management, etc) with a dating partner

Secondary outcomes

  1. Attitudes toward the acceptability of dating violence

    Time frame: 2 times per year for up to 6 years

    Student self report of attitudes toward TDV; Parent self report of attitudes toward TDV; Educator report of students's attitudes toward TDV (2x/year the first year, 1x/year after that)

  2. Knowledge about teen dating violence

    Time frame: 2 times per year for up to 6 years

    Student self report of knowledge of facts about TDV; Parent self report of knowledge of facts about TDV

  3. Attitudes toward gender roles

    Time frame: 2 times per year for up to 6 years

    Student self-report of attitudes toward male and female gender roles (2x/year through 12th grade, so up to 6 years for those who start the study in 6th grade) Parent self-report of attitudes toward male and female gender roles (2x/year for up to 3 years)

  4. Knowledge Regarding Available Resources

    Time frame: 2 times per year for up to 6 years

    Student self-report of awareness of community and national resources for helping teenagers in abusive and violent relationships

  5. Positive parenting behaviors

    Time frame: 2 times per year, for up to 6 years

    Student report of of parent's engagement in positive parenting behaviors, such as praise; of parental monitoring of dating (e.g., parent knows the people the student dates); of general parental monitoring behaviors (e.g., parent knows where student goes out at night) (up to 6 years); Parent report of: of general monitoring behaviors; of monitoring of child's dating; of engagement in positive parenting behaviors toward child; of involvement in child's life and activities, of use of positive discipline techniques toward the child, of use of corporal punishment of the child, and of consistency of discipline toward the child (up to 3 years)

  6. Perpetration of sexual harassment

    Time frame: 2 times per year for up to 6 years

    Student self report of engagement in sexual harassment behaviors toward others, in person and online

  7. Victimization of sexual harassment

    Time frame: 2 times per year for up to 6 years

    Student self report of victimization of sexual harrasment by others, in person and online

  8. School climate

    Time frame: 2 times per year for up to 6 years

    Student report of school climate and safety (2x/ year up to 6 years); Educator report of school climate and safety (2x/year first year, 1x per year after); Student self-report of social support from a teacher or other adult in school

  9. Engagement in risky behaviors

    Time frame: 2 times per year for up to 6 years

    Student self report of engagement in risky behaviors such as risky sex, substance use, aggression, and delinquency

  10. Student mental health

    Time frame: 2 times per year for up to 6 years

    Student self-report of depressive and anxious symptomology.

  11. Student prosocial behaivor

    Time frame: 2 times per year for up to 6 years

    Student self report of engagment in prosocial behavior such as helping others, sharing.

  12. Parental attitudes toward and rules about dating

    Time frame: 2 times per year for up to 3 years

    Parent report about their attitudes toward their child dating, any rules they have for their child about dating, and their communication with their child about those rules

  13. Parent-child communication about risk behaviors

    Time frame: 2 times per year for up to 3 years

    Parent report about the extent to which parent and child communicate about topics such as dating, drugs, sex and sexually transmitted infections

  14. Parent relationship quality

    Time frame: 2 times per year for up to 3 years

    Parent report on communication and satisfaction with communication between him or her and his or her partner Parent self-report of satisfaction with relationship with partner

  15. Parent engagement in Intimate Partner Violence (IPV)

    Time frame: 2 times per year for up to 3 years

    Parent report of perpetration or victimization of IPV

  16. Dating Violence and sexual harassment visibility in school

    Time frame: 2 times per year first year, 1 time per year for 3 more years

    Educator self-report of witnessing dating violence and seuxal harassment in thie school.

  17. Educator ability to address teen dating violence

    Time frame: 2 times per year first year, 1 time per year for 3 more years

    Educator report of views toward teen dating violence prevention and confidence in discussing the issue with students Educator report of knowledge of and responsibility to intervene when witnessing teen dating violence and harassment

  18. Issues faced by youth

    Time frame: 2 times per year first year, 1 time per year for 3 more years

    Educator report of the most common issues (e.g., drugs) faced by students in the school

  19. Parent ability to detect TDV

    Time frame: 2 times per year for up to 3 years

    Parent self-report in confidence in ability to detect teen dating violence perpetration and victimization in child

  20. Exposure to the communications campaign

    Time frame: 2 times per year for up to 6 years

    Student self-report of awareness of the communication campaign, including whether the student has heard of and participated in the i2i campaign activities.

Other outcomes

  1. Demographic variables

    Time frame: 2 times per year for up to 6 years

    • Student self-report of demographic factors, such as age, gender, race/ethnicity, household composition, and relationship history;
    • Parent self-report of demographic factors, such as age, gender, race/ethnicity, household composition, total family income, educational attainment, and relationship history;
    • Educator self-report of demographic factors, such as race/ethnicity and gender

  2. Experience delivering prevention programs

    Time frame: 2 times per year first year, 1 time per year for 3 more years

    Educator self-report of experience delivering prevention programs, such as teen dating violence and harassment prevention programs

  3. Religiosity

    Time frame: 2 times per year for up to 3 years

    Parent self-report of attendance at religious services and importance of religious beliefs

  4. Student extra curricular activities

    Time frame: 2 times per year for up to 3 years

    Parent report of student engagement in extra-curricular activities

  5. Housing stability

    Time frame: 2 times per year for up to 3 years

    Parent report of stability of housing for both parent and student (e.g., how long lived in the same neighborhood)

  6. Neighborhood cohesion

    Time frame: 2 times per year for up to 3 years

    Parent report of characteristics of the neighborhood, such as the extent to which individuals in the neighborhood would intervene if a youth needed help and/or was engaging in delinquent behavior

  7. Gang involvement

    Time frame: 2 times per year for up to 6 years

    Student self report of having been initiated into a gang

  8. Exposure to intimate partner violence

    Time frame: 2 times per year for up to 6 years

    Student self-report of witnessed (by seeing or hearing) intimate partner violence between a parent/guardian and his/her partner

  9. Exposure to community violence

    Time frame: 2 times per year for up to 6 years

    Student self-report of witnessed (by seeing or hearing) community violence, such as hearing or seeing gun shots or others being physically attacked

  10. Views toward Dating Matters sustainability

    Time frame: 2 times per year first year, 1 time per year for 3 more years

    Educator report of views regarding Dating Matters sustainability, including level of commitment to sustainability

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Fed

Collaborators

  • Alameda County Public Health Department
  • Baltimore City Health Department
  • Broward County Health Department
  • Chicago Department of Public Health
  • NORC at the University of Chicago
  • Ogilvy Public Relations

Registry information

Official study title

Randomized Controlled Trial of the "Dating Matters: Strategies to Promote Healthy Teen Relationships" Comprehensive Approach

Acronym: DM

Important dates

Study start
2012
Primary completion
2018
Study completion
2018
First posted
Aug 27, 2012
Registry last updated
Mar 13, 2019

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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