Youth Participatory Action Research to Prevent Community Violence Among Black Youth

Not Applicable

Recruiting

• Conditions: Community Violence

• Registration Number: NCT06886204
• Lead Sponsor: Emory University

Brief Summary

This behavioral intervention study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of Youth Empowered Advocating for Health (YEAH) on youth prosocial behavior and aggressive behavior and assess racial identity and future orientation as mediators of prevention effects.

Detailed Description

Structural determinants of violence such as residential segregation, concentrated poverty, and limited access to education and employment, disproportionately affect Black youth. This group subsequently faces the highest rates of violence exposure and related injuries, with homicide being a leading cause of death. In addition, the consequences of violence exposure include academic decline, psychological issues, and chronic health conditions.

It is important to address the long-lasting effects of structural violence among Black youth including emotional distress and eroding family and community ties. Current violence prevention methods often overlook the impact of structural violence.

The proposed solution is a Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) intervention, called Youth Empowered Advocating for Health (YEAH), which aims to empower Black youth and improve their outcomes. The YEAH program, developed over ten years in partnership with youth, focuses on empowering youth to explore topics of concern in their community and generate solutions. This study will evaluate YEAH's effectiveness in reducing community violence in Metro Atlanta, emphasizing community healing and empowerment as well as narrative change as vital strategies for prevention.

Study Timeline

• Status Verified: 2025-02
• Study Start: 2025-03
• Study First Submitted: 2025-03-04
• Study First Submitted QC: 2025-03-13
• Last Update Submitted: 2025-03-13
• Study First Posted: 2025-03-20
• Last Update Posted: 2025-03-20
• Primary Completion: 2027-05
• Study Completion: 2027-05

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: RECRUITING
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 360

Inclusion Criteria

• Identify their race or ethnicity as Black or African American
• Speak English
• Able to understand the project and give full consent to participate if eligible
• Have a parent or guardian provide consent for them to participate
• Member of Boys and Girls Clubs or other Youth Serving Organization (YEAH immediate intervention and delayed intervention groups)

Exclusion Criteria

• Non-English speakers

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Change in prosocial behavior: Multidimensional Well-being Assessment Scale	Baseline, Week 8, Month 3	Youth prosocial behavior will be measured using a scale developed by Grills et al. (2016) which assesses youth endorsement of behaviors that build connections with others in the past 2 weeks (α=.92). This 12-item scale was developed from items from the Multidimensional Well-being Assessment Scale, and uses a Likert-type scale (1=never; 5=always), with higher mean scores indicating greater likelihood of engaging in behaviors that reflect care and concern for others
Change in aggressive behavior: California Healthy Kids Survey adaptation	Baseline, Week 8, Month 3	Youth aggressive behavior will be measured using 10 items adapted from the California Healthy Kids Survey. This measure asks participants how often they engaged in behaviors such as yelling at teachers, hitting or punching someone, or teasing another student in the past month (α=.88). These items assess the frequency of behaviors with 5 response categories (0,1,2,3,4+).
Change in community violence exposure: Community Experiences Questionnaire	Baseline, Week 8, Month 3	This will be measured with 14 items (items 12-25) from the Community Experiences Questionnaire assessing exposure to violence by witnessing (CEQ-WIT). This scale asks the respondent to rank the frequency with which they have experienced each item on a 4-point rating scale (1=never, 2=once, 3=a few times, 4=lots of times). Scores are calculated by averaging respondents' ratings for the scale

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Racial identity: multidimensional inventory of Black identity-teen (MIBI-T)score	Baseline, Week 8, Month 3	Racial identity will be measured using the multidimensional inventory of Black identity-teen (MIBI-T), including centrality, private regard, public regard, nationalism, humanism, assimilation, and oppressed minority. The scale includes 21 items on a Likert-type scale (1=really disagree; 5=agree), with higher mean scores indicating more positive racial identity
Future orientation: Hemingway Measure of Adolescent Connectedness	Baseline, Month 3	This will be measured using 4 items selected from the Hemingway Measure of Adolescent Connectedness as used by Grills et al. (2016). These items assess participants' orientation toward the future by rating their expectations and aspirations on a 5-point Likert-type scale (1=strongly disagree; 5=strongly agree), with higher scores indicating more positive expectations for the future (α=.84).

Trial Locations

Locations (2)

Emory University; 🇺🇸 Atlanta, Georgia, United States

Boys & Girls Club of Metro Atlanta; 🇺🇸 Atlanta, Georgia, United States