Modifying Mindsets: Effects of a Teen Dating Violence Prevention Program on Victim Blaming Attitudes

• In Event: Policies and Practices to Reduce and Prevent Teen Dating, Domestic and Sexual Violence

Abstract

Most of the criminological research on teen dating violence prevention programs has focused on their effects pertaining to victimization and perpetration. However, the effect of prevention programs in the United States on the prevalence of victim blaming in situations of teen dating violence is minimal. Research has found that a substantial amount of victims of domestic violence will first experience intimate partner violence between the ages of eleven and seventeen; therefore, it is vital that prevention programs are effective in decreasing the stigmatization that victims face when reporting abuse. The present study evaluates the impact of a youth dating violence prevention program implemented in thirty public middle schools across New York City. Individuals’ victim blaming attitudes in situations of youth dating violence are measured. Determining the effect of this prevention program on victim blaming attitudes may inform the design of future programs aimed at preventing incidents of dating violence in this population.

Author

• Celina Cuevas, John Jay College of Criminal Justice