Abstract
This study investigated the effect of a school-based violence prevention program on community rates of violence for youth aged 10 to 18 in three urban communities with high rates of crime and poverty. We evaluated the impact of the Olweus Bully Prevention Program (OBPP) combined with a family intervention using a multiple baseline design in which we randomized the order and timing of intervention activities across three schools. Outcomes were police reports of violent crime incidents involving offenders aged 10 to 18 years (N = 2859 incidents) across a 6-year period. We used Bayesian hierarchical regression modeling to estimate the reduction of youth violence in the census blocks of the intervention middle school zones. Models controlled for percent female head-of-household, median household income, and percent renter-occupied housing units. Block groups within the attendance zones of schools receiving the intervention had a reduced risk of violence compared with those that did not (relative risk = 0.83, 95% credible interval = 0.71, 0.99). Our findings suggest that the school-level intervention was associated with a significant reduction in community-level youth violence. Public health professionals, program planners, and policy-makers should be aware of the potential community-wide benefit of school-level interventions.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Aos, S., Lieb, R., Mayfield, J., Miller, M., & Pennucci, A. (2004). Benefits and costs of prevention and early intervention programs for youth. Olympia: Washington State Institute for Public Policy.
Bernardo, J. M., Bayarri, M. J., Berger, J. O., Dawid, A. P., Heckerman, D., Smith, A. F. M., & West, M. (2007). Sequential Monte Carlo MC for Bayesian computation BC. In Bayesian Statistics 8: Proceedings of the Eighth Valencia International Meeting, June 2–6, 2006 (Vol. 8, p. 115). USA: Oxford University Press.
Besag, J., York, J., & Mollie, A. (1991). Bayesian image restoration, with two applications in spatial statistics (with discussion). Annals of the Institute of Statistical Mathematics, 43, 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00116466.
Biglan, A., Ary, D., & Wagenaar, A. C. (2000). The value of interrupted time-series experiments for community intervention research. Prevention Science, 1, 31–49. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1010024016308.
Black, S. A., & Jackson, E. (2007). Using bullying incident density to evaluation the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program. School Psychology International, 28, 623–638. https://doi.org/10.1177/0143034307085662.
Braga, A. A., Apel, R., & Welsh, B. C. (2013). The spillover effects of focused deterrence on gang violence. Evaluation Review, 37, 314–342. https://doi.org/10.1177/0193841X13518535.
Brännström, L., Trolldal, B., & Menke, M. (2015). Spatial spillover effects of a community action programme targeting on-licensed premises on violent assaults: Evidence from a natural experiment. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 70, 226–230. https://doi.org/10.1136/jech-2015-206124.
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Carlin, B. P., & Banerjee, S. (2003). Hierarchical multivariate CAR models for spatio-temporally correlated survival data. Bayesian Statistics, S7, 45–63.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC]. (2016). Youth violence national and state statistics at a glance. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/yv-datasheet.pdfhttps://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/yv-datasheet.pdf.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC]. (2018). Youth risk behavior survey results. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/data/yrbs/results.htm.
De Coster, S., Heimer, K., & Wittrock, S. M. (2006). Neighborhood disadvantage, social capital, street context and youth violence. The Sociological Quarterly, 47, 723–753. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1533-8525.2006.00064.x.
Farrell, A. D., & Vulin-Reynolds, M. (2007). Violent behavior and the science of prevention. In D. Flannery, A. Vazonsyi, & I. Waldman (Eds.), Cambridge handbook of violent behavior (pp. 766–786). New York: Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511816840.041.
Farrell, A. D., Erwin, E. H., Allison, K., Meyer, A. L., Sullivan, T. N., Camou, S., Kliewer, W., & Esposito, L. E. (2007). Problematic situations in the lives of urban African American middle school students: A qualitative study. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 17, 413–454. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-7795.2007.00528.x.
Farrell, A. D., Mays, S., Bettencourt, A., Erwin, E. H., Vulin-Reynolds, M., & Allison, K. W. (2010). Environmental influences on fighting versus nonviolent behavior in peer situations: A qualitative study with urban African American adolescents. American Journal of Community Psychology, 46, 19–35. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10464-010-9331-z.
Farrell, A. D., Henry, D. B., & Bettencourt, A. (2013). Methodological challenges examining subgroup differences: Examples from universal school-based youth violence prevention trials. Prevention Science, 14, 121–133. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-011-0200-2.
Farrell, A. D., Mehari, K. R., Kramer-Kuhn, A. M., Mays, S., & Sullivan, T. N. (2015). A qualitative analysis of factors influencing middle school students’ use of skills taught by a violence prevention curriculum. Journal of School Psychology, 53, 179–194. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2015.03.001.
Farrell, A. D., Sullivan, T., Sutherland, S. K., & Corona, A. R. (2018). Evaluation of the Olweus Bully Prevention Program in an urban school system in the USA. Prevention Science, 19, 833–847. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-018-0923-4.
Federal Bureau of Investigation (2018). Crime in the United States: Violent crime. Retrieved from https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2010/crime-in-the-u.s.-2010/violent-crime
Fuentes, V. E., Goncy, E. A., & Sutherland, K. S. (2015). Cross-cultural perspectives after participation in the YES program: A pilot study. Journal of Youth Development, 10, 64–73. https://doi.org/10.5195/JYD.2015.8.
Geweke, J. (1992). Evaluating the accuracy of sampling-based approaches to the calculation of posterior moments. In J. M. Bernardo, J. O. Berger, A. P. Dawid, & A. F. M. Smith (Eds.), Bayesian statistics (Vol. 4, pp. 169–193). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Gordon, D. A. (2000). Parent training via CD-ROM: Using technology to disseminate effective prevention practices. Journal of Primary Prevention, 21, 227–251. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007035320118.
Gottfredson, D. C. (2001). Schools and delinquency. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Haggerty, K. P., Skinner, M. L., MacKenzie, E. P., & Catalano, R. F. (2007). A randomized trial of parents who care: Effects on key outcomes at 24-month follow-up. Prevention Science, 8, 249–260. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-007-0077-2.
Hahn, R., Fuqua-Whitley, D., Wethington, H., Crosby, A., Fullilove, M., Johnson, R., et al. (2007). Effectiveness of universal school-based programs to prevent violent and aggressive behavior. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 33, S114–S129. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2007.04.012.
Karriker-Jaffe, K. J., Foshee, V. A., & Ennett, S. T. (2011). Examining how neighborhood disadvantage influences trajectories of adolescent violence: A look at social bonding and psychological distress. The Journal of School Health, 81, 764–773. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1746-1561.2011.00656.x.
Krotochwill, T. R., & Levin, J. R. (2010). Enhancing the credibility of single-case intervention research: Randomization to the rescue. Psychological Methods, 15, 124–144. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0017736.
Lawson, A. (2009). Bayesian disease mapping: Hierarchical modeling in spatial epidemiology. CRC Press.
Lerner, R. M., & Castellino, D. R. (2002). Contemporary developmental theory and adolescence: Developmental systems and applied developmental science. Journal of Adolescent Health, 31, 122–135. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1054-139X(02)00495-0.
Limber, S. P. (2011). Development, evaluation, and future directions of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program. Journal of School Violence, 10, 71–87. https://doi.org/10.1080/15388220.2010.519375.
Masho, S. W., Schoeny, M. E., Webster, D., & Sigel, E. (2016). Outcomes, data, and indicators of violence at the community level. The Journal of Primary Prevention, 37, 121–139. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10935-016-0429-4.
Matjasko, J. L., Vivolo-Kantor, A. M., Massetti, G. M., Holland, K. M., Holt, M. K., & Cruz, J. D. (2012). A systematic meta-review of evaluations of youth violence prevention programs: Common and divergent findings from 25 years of meta-analyses and systematic reviews. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 17, 540–552. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dr.2011.10.001.
Matjasko, J. L., Massetti, G. M., & Bacon, S. (2016). Implementing and evaluating comprehensive evidence-based approaches to prevent youth violence: Partnering to create communities where youth are safe from violence. The Journal of Primary Prevention, 37, 109–119. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10935-016-0422-y.
Melton, G. B., Limber, S. P., Cunningham, P., Osgood, D. W., Chambers, J., Flerx, V., et al. (1998). Violence among rural youth. In Final report to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Washington, DC: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
Mercy, J., Butchart, A., Farrington, D., & Cerdá, M. (2002). Youth violence. In E. Krug, L. L. Dahlberg, J. A. Mercy, A. B. Zwi, & R. Lozano (Eds.), The world report on violence and health (pp. 25–26). Geneva: World Health Organization.
Messer, L. C., Laraia, B. A., Kaufman, J. S., et al. (2006). The development of a standardized neighborhood deprivation index. Journal of Urban Health, 83, 1041. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11524-006-9094-x.
Morrel-Samuels, S., Bacallao, M., Brown, S., Bower, M., & Zimmerman, M. (2016). Community engagement in youth violence prevention: Crafting methods to context. Journal of Primary Prevention, 37, 189–207. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10935-016-0428-5.
Office for Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. (2012). Statistical briefing book. Retrieved from https://www.ojjdp.gov/ojstatbb/crime/qa05301.asp?qaDate=2012.
Olweus, D., & Limber, S. P. (2007). Olweus Bullying Prevention Program: Teacher guide. Center City: Hazelden.
Olweus, D., & Limber, S. P. (2010). Bullying in school: evaluation and dissemination of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 80(1): 124-234.
O'Moore, A. M., & Minton, S. J. (2005). Evaluation of the effectiveness of an anti-bullying programme in primary schools. Aggressive Behavior, 31, 609–622. https://doi.org/10.1002/ab.20098.
Pepler, D. J., Craig, W. M., Ziegler, S., & Charach, A. (1994). An evaluation of an anti-bullying intervention in Toronto schools. Canadian Journal of Community, 13, 95–110. https://doi.org/10.7870/cjcmh-1994-0014.
Savitz, N. V., & Raudenbush, S. W. (2009). Exploiting spatial dependence to improve measurement of neighborhood social processes. Sociological Methodology, 39, 151–183. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9531.2009.01221.x.
Spiegelhalter, D. J., Best, N. G., Carlin, B. P., & Van Der Linde, A. (2002). Bayesian measures of model complexity and fit. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society: Series B (Statistical Methodology), 64, 583–639. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9868.00353.
Verbitsky-Savitz, N., & Raudenbush, S. W. (2012). Causal inference under interference in spatial settings: A case study evaluating community policing program in Chicago. Epidemiologic Methods, 1, 107–130. https://doi.org/10.1515/2161-962X.1020.
Waller, L. A., & Gotway, C. A. (2004). Applied spatial statistics for public health data. Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/0471662682.
Webster, D. W., Whitehill, J. M., Vernick, J. S., & Curriero, F. C. (2013). Effects of Baltimore’s Safe Streets Program on gun violence: A replication of Chicago’s CeaseFire Program. Journal of Urban Health, 90, 27–40. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11524-012-9731-5.
Wheeler, D. C., Waller, L. A., & Elliott, J. O. (2008). Modeling epilepsy disparities among ethnic groups in Philadelphia, PA. Statistics in Medicine, 27, 4069–4085. https://doi.org/10.1002/sim.3261.
Wilson, S. J., & Lipsey, M. W. (2007). School-based interventions for aggressive and disruptive behavior: Update of a meta-analysis. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 33, S130–S143. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2007.04.011.
Zimmerman, M. A., Stewart, S. E., Morrel-Samuels, S., Franzen, S., & Reischl, T. M. (2011). Youth empowerment solutions for peaceful communities: Combining theory and practice in a community-level violence prevention curriculum. Health Promotion Practice, 12, 425–439. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524839909357316.
Funding
This study was funded by the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC Cooperative Agreement 5U01CE001956. The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Ethical Approval
All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.
Informed Consent
Informed consent was not obtained for analyses that were based on de-identified archival data.
Additional information
Publisher’s Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Masho, S.W., Zirkle, K.W., Wheeler, D.C. et al. Spatial Analysis of the Impact of a School-Level Youth Violence Prevention Program on Violent Crime Incidents in the Community. Prev Sci 20, 521–531 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-019-0990-1
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-019-0990-1