Effects of the Dating Matters® Comprehensive Prevention Model on Health- and Delinquency-Related Risk Behaviors in Middle School Youth: a Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial

Lianne Fuino Estefan, Alana M Vivolo-Kantor, Phyllis Holditch Niolon, Vi D Le, Allison J Tracy, Todd D Little, Sarah DeGue, Natasha E Latzman, Andra Tharp, Kyle M Lang, Wendy LiKamWa McIntosh, Lianne Fuino Estefan, Alana M Vivolo-Kantor, Phyllis Holditch Niolon, Vi D Le, Allison J Tracy, Todd D Little, Sarah DeGue, Natasha E Latzman, Andra Tharp, Kyle M Lang, Wendy LiKamWa McIntosh

Abstract

Teen dating violence (TDV) is associated with a variety of delinquent behaviors, such as theft, and health- and delinquency-related risk behaviors, including alcohol use, substance abuse, and weapon carrying. These behaviors may co-occur due to shared risk factors. Thus, comprehensive TDV-focused prevention programs may also impact these other risk behaviors. This study examined the effectiveness of CDC's Dating Matters®: Strategies to Promote Healthy Teen Relationships (Dating Matters) comprehensive TDV prevention model compared to a standard-of-care condition on health- and delinquency-related risk behaviors among middle school students. Students (N = 3301; 53% female; 50% black, non-Hispanic; and 31% Hispanic) in 46 middle schools in four sites across the USA were surveyed twice yearly in 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. A structural equation modeling framework with multiple imputation to account for missing data was utilized. On average over time, students receiving Dating Matters scored 9% lower on a measure of weapon carrying, 9% lower on a measure of alcohol and substance abuse, and 8% lower on a measure of delinquency by the end of middle school than students receiving an evidence-based standard-of-care TDV prevention program. Dating Matters demonstrated protective effects for most groups of students through the end of middle school. These results suggest that this comprehensive model is successful at preventing risk behaviors associated with TDV. clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01672541.

Keywords: Dating matters; Delinquency; Prevention; Substance use; Teen dating violence; Weapon.

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Weapon carrying across time by sex and cohort. SC standard-of-care condition, DM Dating Matters condition. Percent of maximum score (POMS) refers to the maximum possible score given the number of items and response categories in a scale, rather than the maximum observed score. Mean POMS scores have been constrained to appear equal when not significantly different; non-overlapping lines at any time point represent a statistically significant group difference
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Alcohol and other drugs across time by sex and cohort. SC standard-of-care condition, DM Dating Matters condition. Percent of maximum score (POMS) refers to the maximum possible score given the number of items and response categories in a scale, rather than the maximum observed score. Mean POMS scores have been constrained to appear equal when not significantly different; non-overlapping lines at any time point represent a statistically significant group difference
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Delinquency across time by sex and cohort. SC standardof-care condition, DM Dating Matters condition. Delinquency was measured using items from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Percent of maximum score (POMS) refers to the maximum possible score given the number of items and response categories in a scale, rather than the maximum observed score. Mean POMS scores have been constrained to appear equal when not significantly different; non-overlapping lines at any time point represent a statistically significant group difference
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Percent relative risk reduction by outcome (M, range) for Dating Matters vs. standard-of-care. Relative risk reduction represents the percent reduction in scores on measures of weapon carrying, alcohol and substance abuse, and delinquency for the Dating Matters Comprehensive condition relative to the standard-of-care condition. The numbers within the circles represent the average risk reduction for that outcome across the 4 groups (cohort × sex), and the space between the diamonds represent the range of relative risk reduction on that outcome across the four groups

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