High School Implementation of Teen Dating Violence Prevention: The Intersection of Policy and Practice

“It is very real, and here. And it’s a very relevant topic.”- Lead High School Counselor

Background: Teen dating violence (TDV) is a serious issue facing youth in the U.S. Approximately 9% (11.4% Hispanic) of high school students have experienced physical abuse within the past year (CDC, 2012). TDV is linked to a number of risk factors including depression, eating disorders, drug abuse, suicidal ideation, and poor school performance. Correspondingly, 19 states have now passed legislation encouraging or requiring schools to implement TDV prevention education (Jackson et al., 2013; National Conference of State Legislatures, 2014). The aim of this study was to assess whether TDV programs are being implemented in a large city of a Southwest state requiring TDV education within high schools, and if so, to assess which programs are being utilized.

Method: Fifteen Independent School Districts (ISDs) were invited to participate in the present study via phone call or email with complete study details. Contact was first made to the Superintendent’s Offices (SO) via email, and a follow up call was made two weeks later if no response was given. If referrals were made to additional school personnel for information, the same format was followed (i.e., one email/phone after two weeks). When SOs did not respond, we contacted a second appropriate source using webpage directories (i.e., Lead Counselor, Social Worker, etc.). Ten ISDs responded and were willing to participate, collectively representing 52 high schools and over 45,000 high school students. The student populations were largely Hispanic, and represented diverse socioeconomic backgrounds and neighborhoods. Data pertained to the 2014-2015 academic year.

Results: The majority of ISD respondents for this study reported that their high schools implemented some form of TDV education (n = 8 ISDs; 40 high schools); five named existing evidence-based curricula, although none utilized a curriculum in its entirety and all made modifications for their student bodies. Some integrated portions of multiple curricula, or utilized elected aspects of one or more (e.g., a student awareness fair). Three reported that their high schools utilized practitioner created TDV education (n = 19 high schools) stemming from existing research and conference attendance. Of ISDs that did not implement TDV education (n= 2; 12 high schools), one had in the past but no longer did, and the other has “a very strict policy against teen dating violence.”

Conclusion: This study points to both a desire to implement effective TDV education in schools, as well as a lack of evidence-based practice in doing so. Findings support research suggesting that schools may be confused on how to implement TDV policy (Bouffard et al., 2013), and make things up as they go (including the inclusion of cultural considerations for Hispanic youth; Black & Weisz, 2009). Varied implementation points to ‘reinventing the wheel’ and also to a need for short and flexible TDV programs. Social workers may hold an integral role in working to help schools and practitioners locate and modify programs in order to carry out legislation at ground level. Evaluative research is required.