Program Profile: Ending Violence

This is a school-based education program designed to teach students the warning signs of dating violence. The program is rated No Effects. There were no statistically significant impacts on perceptions of helpfulness in others, likelihood of seeking help, perpetration, victimization, and abusive or fearful dating experiences. However, there was a statistically significant increase in knowledge of dating violence in treatment group students.

A No Effects rating implies that implementing the program is unlikely to result in the intended outcome(s) and may result in a negative outcome(s).

This program's rating is based on evidence that includes at least one high-quality randomized controlled trial.

Program Goals/Target Population

Ending Violence is a school-based prevention program designed to teach students about domestic violence, healthy and unhealthy relationships, and legal rights. The program aims to reverse acceptance of violence by emphasizing that intimate partner violence is illegal, and to increase knowledge and help-seeking behaviors by providing information and resources.

Key Personnel

The program is taught by attorneys, in order to emphasize the legal dimension of the program and increase students’ comfort levels in speaking with individuals in the legal profession.

Program Components

The program comprises a brief, three-class-session curriculum. During the three 1-hour classes, attorneys teach youths about laws that protect victims of domestic violence and punish those who commit crimes. The first class is an overview of domestic violence and discusses topics such as warning signs of potentially abusive relationships, myths and misconceptions related to dating and domestic violence, and types of violence and abuse. The second class focuses on laws related to domestic violence and legal options for victims of domestic violence. The last class focuses on safety planning and restraining orders.

Program Theory

The Ending Violence curriculum is consistent with Bandura’s (1977) social learning theory, which suggests that behavior is learned through direct behavior, modeled behavior, or observed occurrences. The theory suggests that behavior is largely guided by emotional reactions and rewards and punishments that follow a given action. The program aims to reverse students’ acceptance of domestic violence by stressing its illegality, increasing knowledge about domestic violence and related laws, and providing resources for potential victims.

Study 1

Jaycox and colleagues (2006) evaluated the Ending Violence curriculum using a sample of 2,540 9th-grade students from 110 classes in 10 high schools in the Los Angeles United School District. The evaluation took place over a 3-year period (2001–2004). Health classes were randomly assigned to participate in either the experimental group (who received the Ending Violence curriculum during health class) or the control group (who received the standard health curriculum). The schools that participated in more than 1 year of the intervention were only randomized once. Six schools participated in the first cohort, five in the second, and six in the third.

The majority of the total study sample was of Latino descent (92 percent), 75 percent were U.S. born, roughly half were female (52 percent), and the average age was 14.4 years. At baseline, there were no significant differences between the treatment and control groups, except that the control group reported less acceptance of female-on-male aggression and a higher likelihood of seeking help related to violence.

Although parents were notified of the intervention, consent was not required for students to participate in the health class because violence prevention is a part of the school district’s curriculum. However, parental consent and student assent were required for participation in the survey. For intervention classes, pretest surveys were given on Monday, the Ending Violence intervention was administered Tuesday through Thursday, and the posttest surveys were administered on Friday. Control groups followed the same schedule, with the traditional health class curriculum being taught in place of the Ending Violence intervention. Follow-up surveys were administered in class 6 months after the curriculum ended.

All measures were self-report. The authors developed a Likert scale to assess help-seeking and knowledge of dating violence and the law. Modified items from the Women’s Experience Battering Scale were used to evaluate negative dating experiences. The Revised Conflict Tactics Scale assessed victimization and perpetration in relationships among those students who dated. The effects of the program on outcomes were tested by examining the differences between the adjusted means for students in the treatment and control groups. No subgroup analysis was conducted.

A training guide for schools looking to implement the program can be found at http://www.hazelden.org/OA_HTML/ibeCCtpItmDspRte.jsp?item=195106.

These sources were used in the development of the program profile:

These sources were used in the development of the program profile:

Following are CrimeSolutions-rated programs that are related to this practice:

Programs to Reduce Dating and Sexual Violence for Youth and Young Adults

This practice involves a range of prevention and intervention programs that are designed to address problems associated with dating violence for youth and young adults. The practice is rated Effective for reducing the perpetration of dating violence and improving dating violence knowledge and attitudes. The practice is rated No Effects for reducing dating and sexual violence victimization, reducing sexual violence perpetration, and for improving bystander behaviors.

Evidence Ratings for Outcomes

	Attitudes & Beliefs - Dating violence knowledge
	Attitudes & Beliefs - Dating violence attitudes
	Crime & Delinquency - Violent offenses
	Victimization - Bystander behavior and intentions
	Crime & Delinquency - Sex-related offenses
	Victimization - Sexual abuse/exploitation
	Victimization - Domestic/intimate partner/family violence

Why might a practice's outcome ratings differ from the ratings of specific programs encompassed by that practice?