title: Effectiveness of "shifting boundaries" teen dating violence prevention program for subgroups of middle school students.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We examine whether the Shifting Boundaries (SB) intervention, a primary intervention to prevent youth dating violence and sexual harassment (DV/H), is differentially effective for girls compared with boys or for youth with a history of DV/H experiences.
  
  
  METHODS
  We randomly assigned SB to 30 public middle schools in New York City, enrolling 117 sixth and seventh grade classes to receive a classroom, building, combined, or neither intervention. The SB classroom intervention included six sessions emphasizing the laws/consequences of DV/H, establishing boundaries and safe relationships. The SB schoolwide/building intervention included the use of school-based restraining orders, greater faculty/security presence in unsafe "hot spots" mapped by students, and posters to increase DV/H awareness and reporting. Student surveys were implemented at baseline, immediately after intervention, and 6 months after intervention.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At 6 months after intervention, the SB building-level intervention was associated with significant reductions in the frequency of sexual harassment (SH) perpetration and victimization; the prevalence and frequency of sexual dating violence victimization; and the frequency of total dating violence victimization and perpetration. We also had one anomalous finding that the interventions were associated with an increase in the prevalence of SH victimization. These results were consistent for girls and boys, and those with or without a history of DV/H, with the one exception for those exposed to the SB building condition who had earlier reported perpetrating SH had a significantly lower frequency of perpetrating SH at the follow-up than those without such a history.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  SB can provide effective universal prevention of middle school DV/H experiences, regardless of students' prior exposure histories, and for boys and girls.
authors.affiliation: NORC at the University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois. Electronic address: Taylor-Bruce@norc.uchicago.edu.
authors.forename: Bruce G
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.affiliation: NORC at the University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.
authors.forename: Elizabeth A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Mumford
authors.affiliation: Wellesley College Center for Research on Women, Wellesley Centers for Women, Wellesley, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Nan D
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Stein
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D015397:Program Evaluation; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D012572:School Health Services; D017406:Sexual Harassment / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology; D014754:Violence / Q000517:prevention & control*
keywords: Gender; Middle schools; Teen dating violence/prevention