Abstract
Violence is an important public health problem among adolescents in the United States. Substance use and violence tend to co-occur among adolescents and appear to have similar etiologies. The present study examined the extent to which a comprehensive prevention approach targeting an array of individual-level risk and protective factors and previously found effective in preventing tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drug use is capable of decreasing violence and delinquency. Schools (N=41) were randomly assigned to intervention and control conditions. Participants in the 20 intervention schools received the Life Skills Training prevention program including material focusing on violence and the media, anger management, and conflict resolution skills. Survey data were collected from 4,858 sixth grade students prior to the intervention and three months later after the intervention. Findings showed significant reductions in violence and delinquency for intervention participants relative to controls. Stronger prevention effects were found for students who received at least half of the preventive intervention. These effects include less verbal and physical aggression, fighting, and delinquency. The results of this study indicate that a school-based prevention approach previously found to prevent tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drug use can also prevent violence and delinquency.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
References
Arthur, M. W., Hawkins, J. D., Pollard, J. A., Catalano, R. F., & Baglioni, A. J. (2002). Measuring risk and protective factors for substance use, delinquency, and other adolescent problem behaviors: The Communities That Care Youth Survey. Evaluation Review, 26, 575–601.
Biglan, A., & Cody, C. (2003). Preventing multiple problem behaviors in adolescence. In D. Romer (Ed.), Reducing adolescent risk: Toward an integrated approach (pp. 125–131). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Botvin, G. J. (2000). Preventing drug abuse in schools: Social and competence enhancement approaches targeting individual-level etiological factors. Addictive Behaviors, 25, 887–897.
Botvin, G. J., Baker, E., Dusenbury, L., Botvin, E. M., & Diaz, T. (1995). Long-term follow-up results of a randomized drug abuse prevention trial in a White middle-class population. Journal of the American Medical Association, 273, 1106–1112.
Botvin, G. J., & Griffin, K. W. (2003). Drug abuse prevention curricula in schools. In Z. Sloboda & W. J. Bukoski (Eds.), Handbook of drug abuse prevention: Theory, science, and practice (pp. 45–74). New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers.
Botvin, G. J., Griffin, K. W., Diaz, T., & Ifill-Williams, M. (2001). Drug abuse prevention among minority adolescents: One-year follow-up of a school-based preventive intervention. Prevention Science, 2, 1–13.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2006). Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance—United States, 2005. Surveillance Summaries, June 9, 2006. MMWR, 55 (No. SS–5).
Elliott, D. S., Huizinga, D., & Menard, S. (1989). Multiple problem youth: Delinquency, substance use, and mental health problems. New York: Springer-Verlag.
Elliot, D. S., Huizinga, D., & Ageton, S. S. (1985). Risk and protective factors for alcohol and other drug problems in adolescence and early adulthood: Implications for substance abuse prevention. Psychological Bulletin, 112, 64–105.
Farrell, A. D., Danish, S. J., & Howard, C. W. (1992). Relationship between drug use and other problem behaviors in urban adolescents. Journal of Consulting & Clinical Psychology, 60, 705– 712.
Flay, B. (2002). Positive youth development requires comprehensive health promotion programs. American Journal of Health Behavior, 26, 407–424.
Flay, B., & Petraitis, J. (1994). The theory of triadic influence: a new theory of health behavior with implications for preventive interventions. In G. L. Albrecht (Ed.), Advances in medical sociology, volume IV: A reconsideration of models of health behavior change (pp. 19–44). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
Garrison, C. Z., McKeown, R. E., Valois, R. F., & Vincent, M. L. (1993). Aggression, substance use, and suicidal behaviors in high school students. American Journal of Public Health, 83, 179– 184.
Griffin, K. W., Botvin, G. J., & Nichols, T. R. (2004). Long-term follow-up effects of a school-based drug abuse prevention program on adolescent risky driving. Prevention Science, 5, 207–212.
Griffin, K. W., Botvin, G. J., & Nichols, T. R. (2006). Effects of a school-based drug abuse prevention program for adolescents on HIV risk behaviors in young adulthood. Prevention Science, 7, 103–112.
Hammond, W. R., & Yung, B. (1993). Psychology’s role in the public health response to assaultive violence among young African–American men. American Psychologist, 48, 142–154.
Hawkins, J. D., Catalano, R. F., & Miller, J. Y. (1992). Risk and protective factors for alcohol and other drug problems in adolescence and early adulthood: Implications for substance abuse prevention. Psychological Bulletin, 112, 64–105.
Hoyert, D. L., Heron, M. P., Murphy, S. L., & Kung, H. (2006). Deaths: Final data for 2003. National Vital Statistics Report, 54, 1–120.
Jessor, R., & Jessor, S. L. (1977). Problem behavior and psychosocial development. New York: Academic Press.
Lillehoj, C. J., Griffin, K. W., & Spoth, R. L. (2004). Program provider and observer ratings of school-based preventive intervention implementation: Agreement and relation to youth outcomes. Health Education & Behavior, 31, 242–257.
Norton, E. C., Bieler, G. S., Ennett, S. T., & Zarkin, G. A. (1996). Analysis of prevention program effectiveness with clustered data using generalized estimating equations. Journal of Consulting & Clinical Psychology, 64, 919–926.
SAS Institute (2005). SAS/STAT User’s Guide. Cary, NC: SAS Publications.
Tardiff, K., & Gross, E. (1986). Homicide in New York City. Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine, 62, 413–426.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2001). Youth Violence: A Report of the Surgeon General. Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Surgeon General.
Acknowledgements
This research was supported by grants DA08905 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health. Dr. Botvin has a financial interest in the Life Skills Training (LST) program and his consulting company, National Health Promotion Associates (NHPA), provides teacher training and technical assistance for LST. Dr. Kenneth W. Griffin is a consultant to NHPA.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Botvin, G.J., Griffin, K.W. & Nichols, T.D. Preventing Youth Violence and Delinquency through a Universal School-Based Prevention Approach. Prev Sci 7, 403–408 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-006-0057-y
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-006-0057-y