An RCT test of a Brief Intervention to Prevent Adolescent Dating Aggression Perpetration

• In Event: Stalking and Aggression Among Couples

Abstract

Adolescent dating abuse (ADA) is a prevalent and consequential public health and criminal justice problem, but there is an unmet need for tertiary ADA interventions in non-school settings. Project Real Talk was an NIJ-funded randomized control trial study designed to test a brief motivational interview-style intervention for youth ages 15-19 who used (i.e., perpetrated) physical or sexual violence in a dating relationship. Youth (N=184) were recruited from an urban hospital emergency department setting. Youth were followed longitudinally and outcomes were assessed at 3 and 6 months post-baseline. The majority of the sample was female because more females than males were screened and eligible for the research. Outcomes include dating abuse-related knowledge, attitudes about the use of violence to resolve conflict, and dating abuse behavior (perpetration and/or victimization). In this session, we will present the preliminary results of Project Real Talk and propose how these results may inform future research and practice, particularly on the topic of intervening with adolescent perpetrators of dating abuse.

Authors

• Emily Rothman, Boston University

• Jennifer Paruk, Boston University

• Timothy Heeren, Boston University

• Megan Bair-Merritt, Boston Medical Center