Youth Intimate Partner Violence : Elements of Successful Prevention Programs

Abstract

The status of violence in contemporary United States has been called an epidemic by experts in the field in recent decades. In response to this, there has been the development of a new field of research in the area of violence prevention programs. This paper is within that field, in the area of youth intimate partner violence (YIPV) prevention. Through research of relevant literature by professionals combined with reflection on a summer internship spent developing and teaching a teen dating violence prevention program at the Boys and Girls Club in Kalamazoo, this paper defines adolescent abusive relationships, as well as other forms of youth violence, and places YIPV in the context of violence in the United States today and the impacts of such intimate violence on youth. Social learning theory is used in identifying effective methods for prevention programs, such as integration across all aspects of the youth experience and positive role models for adolescents to look up to. This paper outlines methods for prevention programs seen in the field as the best and supplements this with reflection on experiences at the Boys and Girls Club.