Building on Youth's Strengths: Including Adolescents in Developing, Implementing, and Evaluating Violence Prevention

Decades of research have documented the concerning rates and negative outcomes of interpersonal violence among adolescents, underscoring the critical importance of primary prevention. Adolescent violence prevention programs are typically designed and delivered by adults in school-based settings. However, research has highlighted a number of problems with the effectiveness and sustainability of adult-designed prevention models. One promising direction for improving prevention program efficacy is to draw on the natural strengths and resilience of adolescents, and test and promote models in which they play a larger role in developing prevention program content and implementation strategies. In this presentation, we consider the possibility that program effectiveness might be improved if innovative, evidence-based prevention strategies could be developed to help guide adolescents in developing and delivering prevention materials themselves. To inform our discussion, we surveyed 14 adolescent peer leaders about their experiences developing and delivering violence prevention in their schools and communities. We also will include data from a cluster randomized control trial of a violence prevention program in which we examined facilitator characteristics (e.g., young, relatable) related to youth’s self-reported evaluations of the program as well as moderators of program impact. Guided by this empirical data, we will also critically review the limitations of adult-delivered prevention, discuss the potential benefits and challenges of involving adolescents in designing and delivering violence prevention content, and suggest a number of future directions for researchers and program developers.