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The Impact of Culturally Relevant Violence Prevention Models on School-Age Youth

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The Family and Community Violence Prevention (FCVP) Program was established in 1994 to address the escalation of youth violence among ethnic minorities. This federally funded program adapted the public health model and organized Family Life Centers throughout the country to serve youth who were considered to be at risk for violence and other abusive behaviors. The purpose of this three-year study, 1999–2002, was to determine the effectiveness of the FCVP Program's six-component curriculum in reducing violence among participants. Results from posttest scores of 2,315 youth showed girls 12 and over to be most at risk for deviant behaviors; the program was most effective with boys under age 12. Academic performance and bonding to school were protective factors whereas exposure to violence was a risk factor for all four ethnic groups studied—African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, and Native Hawaiians.

Editors' Strategic Implications: Cultural anthropologists, public health specialists, and school officials should know that prevention programs can be designed to reflect the unique, culturally appropriate norms of specific ethnic minority groups, even as these programs address shared risk factors. The authors discuss the promising strategy of enhancing academic performance and school bonding to serve as protective factors against school violence, but they also describe age, gender, and cultural differences that must be addressed in future research.

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Correspondence to Laxley W. Rodney Ph.D., Chair.

Appendices

APPENDIX A

School Bonding Index-Revised (SBI-R)

Read the following statement … Mark 1 for Strongly Disagree, 2 for Disagree, 3 for Agree, and 4 for Strongly Agree. Shade your response under the School Bonding Index Revised (SBI-R) on Page 3 of the answer sheet booklet.

1.

I think my school is a good place to be.

2.

I like most of the students in my school.

3.

My classmates and I want the same things from school.

4.

I feel at home in this school.

5.

I have influence over what this school is like.

6.

If there is a problem in this school, the principle, teachers, and students can get it solved.

7.

It is very important to me to go to this school.

8.

Students in this school get along well with others.

9.

I want to stay in this school until I go to or through high-school.

10.

I care about what my classmates know about me.

11.

I like to stand in front of the class and speak.

12.

I like to help the teacher in class.

13.

I like to talk to my teachers before or after class.

14.

When I have a problem, I can talk to a teacher or a counselor at school.

15.

I am involved in a lot of activities at school.

16.

I don't care if people throw paper on the floor at school.

17.

I use profanity at school.

18.

There is nothing really wrong with breaking bottles outside of the school building.

19.

I often disrupt class.

20.

Every chance I get, I cut class.

21.

It bothers me when students break the windows at my school.

22.

It bothers me when students write on the walls or desks at my school.

23.

I don't think it's right to throw food in the cafeteria at school.

24.

It really bothers me when students talk back to teachers.

  1. Note: There are four subscales: The School Experience subscale is made up of the first 9 items on the SBI-R. The School Involvement is made up of items 10 through 15. The School Delinquency is made up items 16 through 20. The School Pride is made up items 21 through 24.

APPENDIX B

Violence Risk Assessment Inventory (VRAI)

Read the following statements and choose the answer that BEST fits you. Please shade the appropriate response in the answer sheet provided and do not leave any blank. Mark N for “No,” 1 for “once,” 2 for “twice,” 3 for “three times,” and 4+ for “four or more times.” Shade your responses in the spaces provided under the Violence Risk Assessment Inventory Revised (VRAI-R) page 2 of the answer sheet.

In the past three months, I have.

1.

carried a weapon in public such as in school or on the street.

2.

fought with a group of my friends against another group of people.

3.

physically fought someone I knew.

4.

physically fought someone I did not know.

5.

been with someone who was selling drugs.

6.

been with someone smoking pot, weed, bliss, marijuana.

7.

been offered drugs or alcohol.

8.

been away from home without permission.

9.

drank alcohol or been drunk.

10.

argued with my parent(s) or guardian(s).

11.

damaged or destroyed school, private or public property.

12.

I have used a weapon like a knife, stick, bat, etc. in a fight.

13.

taken something that did not belong to me without paying for it.

14.

held a real gun in my hands.

15.

been so mad that I thought I was going to lose control.

16.

someone in my family has gotten in a physical fight.

17.

been mad enough to fight.

18.

seen at least one person close to me- like a family member, parent, guardian, teacher or friend- settle an argument by fighting.

19.

felt like there is no way out of a situation without using violence.

20.

been so angry that I acted without thinking about what would happen.

In the past six months, I have.

21.

used a weapon like a knife, stick, or bat, etc. in a fight.

22.

held a real gun in my hands without permission from my parents/guardians.

23.

I have carried a weapon in a public place like to school or the store.

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Rodney, L.W., Johnson, D.L. & Srivastava, R.P. The Impact of Culturally Relevant Violence Prevention Models on School-Age Youth. J Primary Prevent 26, 439–454 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10935-005-0003-y

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