The authors discuss the various impacts of a school-based adolescent dating violence prevention program.
The Safe Dates Project is a randomized trial for evaluating a school-based adolescent dating violence prevention program. The authors used five waves of data to examine the effects of Safe Dates over time including primary and secondary prevention effects, moderators, and mediators of program effects. Using random coefficients models, with multiple imputation of missing data, the authors found significant program effects at all four follow-up periods on psychological, moderate physical, and sexual dating violence perpetration and moderate physical dating violence victimization. The authors observed marginal effects on sexual victimization. Effects on severe physical perpetration at all four follow-up periods were moderated by prior involvement in that type of violence. Primary and secondary prevention effects were found, and the program was equally effective for males and females and for whites and non-whites. Program effects were mediated by changes in dating violence norms, gender-role norms, and awareness of community services. Publisher Abstract Provided