EFFICACY OF A DATING VIOLENCE PREVENTION PROGRAM ON ATTITUDES JUSTIFYING AGGRESSION

Objectives: The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate a five-ses sion dating violence prevention curriculum in terms of its effect on a ttitudes justifying the use of dating violence. Methods: The curriculu m was implemented in all health classes in a Long Island, New York, sc hool. A total of 193 students participated (boys, n = 106; girls, n = 87). A quasi-experimental design was used to evaluate change in attitu des justifying dating violence, with health classes randomly assigned to the treatment or no-treatment conditions. Results: Pre- to postprog ram assessments indicated that there were significant decreases in ove rall attitudes justifying the use of dating violence as a means to res olve conflict among students exposed to the curriculum material, where as those who were not exposed did not show attitude change from pre- t o postprogram evaluation. Conclusions: The curriculum shows promise as an effective tool for changing attitudes condoning dating violence. F uture research is needed to determine whether the observed attitude ch ange is also linked to reduction in aggressive behaviors. (C) Society for Adolescent Medicine, 1997.