The Impact of Family and Peer Protective Factors on Girls’ Violence Perpetration and Victimization

Details

• Alternative Title:
  J Adolesc Health
• Personal Author:
  Shlafer, Rebecca J. ; McMorris, Barbara J. ; Sieving, Renee E. ; Gower, Amy L.
• Description:
  Purpose ; This study investigates whether family and peer connections and prosocial norms buffer adolescent girls’ violence involvement, and whether a youth development intervention augments the power of these protective factors in reducing girls’ risk for violence. ; Methods ; Data were obtained from 253 13–17 year-olds enrolled in a randomized controlled trial of Prime Time, a youth development intervention offered through urban clinic settings to girls at high risk for pregnancy. Participants completed an A-CASI survey at baseline, 6, 12, and 18 months following enrollment. Protective factors included scales assessing family and peer connections and prosocial norms. Outcome variables were violence victimization and perpetration scales measured at 18 months. ; Results ; Family connections and prosocial norms independently protected girls against violence involvement. Peer prosocial norms also served as a protective buffer against violence perpetration and victimization; however, girls with strong peer connections had higher levels of violence perpetration. Participation in Prime Time augmented the protective effects of family and peer connections on girls’ violence victimization but not perpetration. Prime Time participants who had high levels of family connections reported the lowest levels of violence victimization at 18 months. Prime Time participants with strong peer connections trended toward lower levels of violence victimization than other girls. ; Conclusions ; Results suggest that effects of the Prime Time intervention on violence victimization were optimized among high-risk adolescent girls with strong connections to family and peers. The intervention was most potent in preventing violence victimization among girls with strong prosocial connections to family and peers.
• Subjects:
  • Adaptation, Psychological
  • Adolescent
  • Crime Victims
  • Family Relations
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Minnesota
  • Peer Group
  • Qualitative Research
  • Social Environment
  More +
• Keywords:
  • youth development
  • intervention
  • violence perpetration
  • violence victimization
  • adolescent girls
  • family
  • peers
  • protective factors
• Source:
  J Adolesc Health. 2012; 52(3):365-371
• Pubmed ID:
  23299002
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC3579999
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Funding:
  U48 DP001939/DP/NCCDPHP CDC HHSUnited States/ ; T32HP22239/PHS HHSUnited States/ ; 5R01 NR008778/NR/NINR NIH HHSUnited States/ ; R01 NR008778/NR/NINR NIH HHSUnited States/ ; UL1 TR000114/TR/NCATS NIH HHSUnited States/ ; KL2 TR000113/TR/NCATS NIH HHSUnited States/
• Volume:
  52
• Issue:
  3
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/33523/cdc_33523_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 372.15 KB]
• Collection(s):
  CDC Public Access
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:8b957bdc9acf8f58302c5444a0a51783d90395f5af8f6bc06efd37a493f7081d