First time gun carrying and the primary prevention of youth gun violence for African American youth living in extreme poverty

First time gun carrying is specified as a logical starting point for the primary prevention of youth gun violence, which is also consistent with the public health approach to the prevention of firearm injuries for at risk African American youth. However, it is difficult to disentangle youth gun violence from other aspects of violence that are concentrated in high poverty settings. Insights from developmental life-course criminology (DLC) are used to: (1) categorize first time gun carrying as a critical inflection point in the development of youth violence; and (2) categorize exposure to violence in the community as a developmental pathway for first time gun carrying for youth attempting to prevent and/or deter future violent victimization. The ecological-transactional model of community violence provides a more nuanced breakdown of the impact of exposure to violence in the community on first time gun carrying given the embeddedness of contexts that shape child and adolescent development in high poverty settings. Finally, several areas for future research are outlined that include a need to better integrate gun carrying into existing theories as well as future longitudinal studies of high risk African American youth.     

Oppression and empowerment: perceptions of violence among urban youth

Youth violence in the United States has emerged as a major concern for communities, policymakers and community researchers. This paper reports on the efforts of a child mental health clinic to build a community consensus around addressing violence that affects youth and all members of the community. We describe and give case examples regarding our approach to acquiring the perspectives of the community, particularly that of youth, discuss key themes and implications that emerged from our work, and offer preliminary recommendations for designing a youth violence prevention initiative in a disenfranchised community. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effectiveness of mentoring programs for youth: a meta-analytic review

We used meta-analysis to review 55 evaluations of the effects of mentoring programs on youth. Overall, findings provide evidence of only a modest or small benefit of program participation for the average youth. Program effects are enhanced significantly, however, when greater numbers of both theory-based and empirically based best practices are utilized and when strong relationships are formed between mentors and youth. Youth from backgrounds of environmental risk and disadvantage appear most likely to benefit from participation in mentoring programs. Outcomes for youth at-risk due to personal vulnerabilities have varied substantially in relation to program characteristics, with a noteworthy potential evident for poorly implemented programs to actually have an adverse effect on such youth. Recommendations include greater adherence to guidelines for the design and implementation of effective mentoring programs as well as more in-depth assessment of relationship and contextual factors in the evaluation of programs.     

Pragmatic post‐structuralism (II): an outcomes evaluation of a stopping violence programme

This paper reports features of a distinctly post‐structuralist ‘outcome evaluation’ of a New Zealand stopping violence programme for men who have assaulted their spouses. Through analysis of pre‐ and post‐programme interviews it was found that the men's accounts of their violence shifted as a consequence of their participation in and exposure to the programme's discursive resources. Overall the men's accounts demonstrated movement towards taking greater ownership and responsibility for their actions. However this trend was not universal and was mitigated through other pre‐programme discursive resources. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Bullying in youth sport training: A nationwide exploratory and descriptive research in Portugal

We describe and analyse the incidence and nature of bullying behaviours in male adolescent athletes (n = 1458), from 9 different sports, and 97 sport clubs, across Portugal. We collected information about the prevalence of roles in bullying, types of bullying, the frequency and duration of episodes, the location and activities in which they occur, the number of athletes involved, the feelings of those involved, communication of victims and bullies about their involvement in bullying episodes, the reasons ascribed, coping strategies and victim support sources. Altogether about 10% of athletes reported having been victimized, 11% participated in bullying episodes as bullies, and 35% as bystanders. Bullying episodes were usually characterized by low frequency and low duration and were most frequently verbal bullying inside the sport club. However, when episodes became repeated and with long duration,this tended to generalize to multiple types of bullying (especially verbal and social) and multiple places where episodes occurred, in sport clubs and also in competition. We conclude that bullying in youth sport training is an important topic; there is a need for both prevention and early broadly based intervention which involves coaches, peers and family.     

Pathways to violence propensity: Results from a two-wave study of young males in urban South Africa

The aim of this study was to model pathways to violence propensity and violent behaviour among boys and young men in a high-violence community in South Africa. To that end, 284 young males (11 to 23 years old) from Khayelitsha, Cape Town self-reported risk for engagement in interpersonal violence and criminality; including within family, peer, and school domains, over a 12 month period. In Structural Equation Modelling, a pathway emerged through which an unstable home environment, influenced by deprivation and violence, affects the quality of parenting. In turn, early deviant associations and attitudes toward violence and gangs are cultivated and may have a deleterious effect on schooling, resulting in greater future substance abuse, greater violence propensity, and offending. These findings support the life course perspective approach, emphasising turning points and human agency in the aetiology of violence.     

Exploring the effects of a youth enrichment program on academic motivation and engagement

This study explores the effects of a youth enrichment program on academic motivation and engagement. Fifty-three students aged 14–16 years participated in the Rotary Youth Program of Enrichment (RYPEN). Embedded within the program were workshops revolving around the Student Motivation and Engagement Wheel [Martin (2003a). How to motivate your child for school and beyond. Sydney: Bantam] and strategies aimed at enhancing students’ academic motivation and engagement. Motivation was measured using the Student Motivation and Engagement Scale [Martin (2001). Australian Journal of Guidance and Counselling 11, 1–20; Martin (2003b) Australian Journal of Education, 14, 34–49] at the outset of the program, towards the end of the program, and again 6–8 weeks later. Data showed that there were gains on key facets of students’ motivation by the end of the program – gains that were sustained 6–8 weeks later. These gains were demonstrated by boys and girls. Moreover, when compared to a larger weighted sample (2769 high school students), by Time 2 and also by Time 3, significant declines in motivation had been reversed and any pre-existing advantages or parallel strengths of the RYPEN sample over the weighted sample were maintained. Five facets of the program proposed to have contributed to its effectiveness are: the optimistic expectations held by adults, the program’s focus on mastery, the climate of cooperation and the ensuing sense of belonging, the positive relationships that developed amongst students and between students and adults, and embedding school-related elements within a broader enrichment program. Each of these is discussed.     

Preventing antisocial behavior in the schools

Multiple correlates and determinants of antisocial behavior within the home, community, and school are reviewed. Due to the school's pivotal role in our society, an emphasis is placed on how our schools contribute to antisocial behavior, and what educators can do to prevent anti-social behavior and related attendance problems. A variety of contextual factors and setting events within our schools appear to be major contributors to antisocial behavior, and some of the same factors identified within the schools also have been identified within the home. These setting events, rather than quick restrictive fixes, must be given more attention if we are to provide safe school environments-environments that durably prevent antisocial behavior and related attendance problems.     

Training of practitioners and beliefs about family skills in family-based prevention programmes

To ensure close adherence to the contents of a family-based cognitive-behavioural programme, and maintain a high standard of quality in its implementation, it is important that practitioners’ attitudes and beliefs regarding family skills coincide with those of the programme. This paper describes and analyses (observed) potential changes in these beliefs, after training courses held prior to the application of a prevention programme for families: the Family Competence Programme. A questionnaire was devised to examine practitioners’ beliefs regarding family skills; and completed both before and after the training course. The results point to significant changes in family dynamics, realistic expectations and active listening. Thus, it can be demonstrated that preliminary training courses promote practitioner attitudes and beliefs which are more coherent with a subsequent programme’s approach.     

Violence prevention: Program effects on urban preschool and kindergarten children

This study compares the effectiveness of a violence prevention program with young, at-risk children in two settings. Preschool and kindergarten students, residing in Chicago public-housing developments, participated in a 28-session intervention. Knowledge, behavior problems, and social skills were assessed at pretest and posttest, based on child interviews, teacher ratings, and behavioral observations. Findings suggest that both preschool and kindergarten children demonstrated significant gains in knowledge, based on interview scores, and significant decreases in problem behaviors, based on behavioral observations; however, teacher ratings did not change significantly across time. The discrepancy in findings is explored and implications are discussed.     

The Role of Families and Care Givers as Risk and Protective Factors in Preventing Youth Violence

This paper reviews research which discusses the risk and protective functions that families and other caregivers provide in influencing the development of aggressive behavior in youth. Currently, there is an emphasis on providing violence prevention programs in the school environment, typically with little parental or caregiver involvement. By enhancing the role of families and caregivers in youth violence prevention programs, we assert that an unique opportunity exists to both address specific risk factors for violence while enhancing the protective features of the family. Relatedly, the risk literature on youth violence indicates that the most influential risk factors (i.e., the family, community, and peers) have their principle impact on youth aggression outside the school. We suggest a shift in the focus of violence prevention programming that is more inclusive of families as both a risk and protective agent. In support of this position, relevant theory and reviews of exemplary family-involved programs are offered. Challenges to involving youth caregivers are identified and recommendations for overcoming those challenges suggested. Last, recommendations for future research and public policy in the prevention of youth violence are offered.     

On advancing behavior analysis in the treatment and prevention of battering: Commentary on Myers

MYERS OFFERS AN IMPORTANT CHALLENGE TO BEHAVIOR ANALYSTS: eliminating the battering of women. In this commentary, we extend the conceptual model advocated by Myers, urge a bidirectional approach that focuses more on the battered woman and less on the battering man, caution against the indiscriminate use of marital therapy approaches, and argue that the most important contributions in the field may come from behavioral prevention rather than treatment interventions.     

Voices from the Group

Summary

This article presents experiential reactions of male and female domestic violence perpetrators one year after completing a 52-week court-mandated intervention program. Data were derived from in-depth interviews as part of a larger research study looking at recidivism and other outcomes in a probation department with a domestic violence courtand a coordinated legal, programmatic and community response. Overall, elements that were most helpful in domestic violence intervention were primarily relational ones, such as group support and therapist/facilitator alliances, and secondarily, specific strategies of handling anger and other emotions, and interpersonal communication. The discussion focuses on the implications of these findings for therapists and facilitators involved in providing services for this population.     

A Critical Incident Technique Study of the Facilitation of Gang Entry: Perspectives of Indigenous Men Ex-Gang Members

The aim of the study was to describe incidents that facilitated gang entry among 10 Indigenous men who survived and exited from gang life in Canada’s Prairies. The critical incident technique was applied as participants responded to this question: What facilitated gang entry for you? A total of 103 incidents that facilitated gang entry for participants were sorted into 13 distinct categories. These events led to a progression of gang activity where the gang lifestyle provided validation, provided a site for dedication and learning, and generated traumatic consequences for participants’ actions. Qualitative textual data vignettes, counseling, and research recommendations are provided.     

Evaluation of the Responding in Peaceful and Positive Ways (RIPP) Seventh Grade Violence Prevention Curriculum

We evaluated the impact of RIPP-7, a seventh grade violence prevention curriculum designed to strengthen and extend the effects of the sixth grade RIPP-6 curriculum. Classes of seventh graders at two urban middle schools serving predominantly African-American youth where RIPP-6 had been implemented the preceding school year were randomized to intervention (N = 239) and control groups (N = 237). Compared to students in the control group, students who participated in RIPP-7 had fewer disciplinary code violations for violent offenses during the following school year. A limited number of main effects were found on self-report outcome measures and measures of attitudes. Although significant main effects were not found on self-report measures of physical aggression, drug use, or anxiety, analyses of interactions with pretest scores indicated that intervention effects were significantly moderated by pretest scores for several outcome measures. Students most likely to benefit from the intervention were those who reported higher pretest rates of problem behaviors including violent behavior, nonphysical aggression, and delinquent behavior.     

Methodological issues in prevention research: An introduction to the special issue

In recent years increased attention has been directed to prevention research as a means of solving the multitude of complex social and health problems which confront individuals and their societies. Abuse of substances, behavioral dysfunctions, violence, emotional disorders, educational failures, unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases are but a few examples of these most difficult problems. As our recognition of the need for sound prevention strategies has grown, so has our sophistication in designing prevention research studies to evaluate the effectiveness of these new strategies. And that sophistication has brought new challenges, some of which are capable of stifling progress because of their complexity. This problem is certain to grow in importance as interventions with multiple components are used more frequently to meet the challenges of the complex social and health problems we face. This special issue evolved out of the recognition that prevention researchers are confronted by a myriad of difficult methodological issues which have inhibited progress in this area. The articles in the issue present innovative methodological solutions designed to overcome these problems so the field can move forward. Editor's Note: Dr. Edward Seidman edited Methodological Issues in Prevention Research while serving as Associate Editor for Methodology.     

Parent Perspectives on the Use of Group Well-Child Care to Address Toxic Stress in Early Childhood

We sought to understand the experiences of parents who participated in Group Well-Child Care (GWCC) and Trauma-Informed GWCC (TI-GWCC). Three focus groups and design sessions with parents from either standard GWCC or TI-GWCC (N = 17) were conducted and synthesized into common themes using thematic analysis. Focus group themes included: (1) GWCC can empower parents to recognize toxic stress; (2) Parents identify ways that they role model behaviors for their child(ren); (3) Activities that facilitate reflection on attachment and anger management encourage intentional parenting practices. Our qualitative findings suggest that TI-GWCC supports the prevention of childhood adversity by creating connections between parents, helping families understand and identify toxic stress, and teaching parenting practices that mitigate stressors.     

Promoting positive development among youth from refugee and migrant backgrounds: The case of Kicking Goals Together

ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to explore the case of Kicking Goals Together (KGT), a programme that combines a football competition with a life skills education intervention to elicit Positive Youth Development (PYD) outcomes for youth from refugee and migrant backgrounds. The Holt et al. (2017) model of PYD through sport provided the framework for the analysis of the case.MethodsSemi-structured interviews were conducted with ten participants comprising six of the programme’s participants and four stakeholders. A deductive-inductive content analysis was used to explore the individuals’ perceptions and experiences, the PYD outcomes, and the climate and implicit and explicit processes that related to these outcomes.FindingsThe KGT climate supported the making of new friends and meeting new people; provided supportive relationships with adults; while participants described parents as being proud, supportive, but distanced. Personal outcomes related to PYD included increased confidence, improved networking skills, and enhanced employment opportunities. The social outcomes included improved communication, development of intercultural understanding and acceptance, improved teamwork and leadership, and a greater sense of belonging to a wider and more inclusive community.ConclusionAnalysis of the findings provided support for the analytical generalisation (Smith, 2018) and value of the Holt et al. (2017) model. Specifically, in highlighting how the structure and climate of the KGT initiative supported PYD outcomes. An environment that celebrated cultural diversity, and where youth had access to adults who were “functional advocates” (Whitley, Massey, & Wilkinson, 2018, p. 121) was identified as key to the achievement of these outcomes.