Strategies for Evaluating Dating Violence Prevention Programs

Adolescence represents an important opportunity to inform youth about healthy, non-violent relationships as they begin to form their own intimate relationships. There are many methodological and practical challenges to conducting educational efforts directed at adolescents, and even greater difficulties in evaluating such efforts. This paper discusses some of the known findings concerning predictors of abusive dating relationships and the research challenges of dating violence prevention, such as identifying and recruiting youth for participation. We identify current dating violence prevention programs that have an evaluation component, with an emphasis on program content and evaluation strategies. The paper concludes with a discussion of the Youth Relationships Project, a program designed to encourage healthy, non-violent relationships among youth who were raised in abusive environments. Benefits and limitations of research and evaluation strategies are discussed.