title: Evaluation of a high school peer group intervention for at-risk youth.
abstract: The purpose of this paper is to examine the effectiveness of Reconnecting Youth, a prevention program for at-risk high school youth. Data are from a large, independently evaluated effectiveness trial in two diverse urban school districts. A total of 1,218 students participated; 50% were male; average age was 15. We tested whether positive efficacy trial effects could be replicated, and whether any negative behavioral effects occur when clustering high-risk youth. Although mixed program effects were observed at immediate post-intervention, only negative effects were found at 6-month follow-up. These effects included less optimal scores on measures of GPA, Anger, School Connectedness, Conventional Peer Bonding, and Peer High-Risk Behaviors. Overall, we found little support for the use of this social-influence--model intervention aimed at increasing school connectedness for high-risk youth. Further, this study provides evidence that clustering high-risk youth in preventive interventions has the potential for iatrogenic effects.
authors.affiliation: Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA. cho@pire.org
authors.forename: Hyunsan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Denise Dion
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Hallfors
authors.forename: Victoria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sánchez
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007100:Imitative Behavior; D008297:Male; D010379:Peer Group; D011615:Psychotherapy, Group / Q000379:methods*; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012572:School Health Services; D012919:Social Behavior; D013334:Students; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000628:therapy*