Cross-Cutting Trauma-Informed Peer Aggression and Dating Violence Prevention for Preteens Receiving Intensive Mental Health Services

What this Trial Is About

This research aims to evaluate whether the SPARE program (Social Skills, Problem Solving, Emotion Regulation, and Psycho-Education on Trauma) can reduce peer aggression and prevent teen dating violence in preteens receiving intensive mental health services. The study compares youth who receive SPARE to those receiving standard treatment to see if SPARE leads to improvements in aggressive behavior, attitudes about teen dating violence, and mental health outcomes. The study focuses on youth aged 11 to 13 enrolled in a child partial hospitalization program. SPARE includes five main parts: social skills training, problem-solving with nonaggressive solutions, awareness of domineering behavior and conflict resolution, emotion regulation, and education on adverse childhood experiences and trauma. It is delivered in group therapy sessions twice a week, each lasting 45 minutes, with 30 minutes of instruction and 15 minutes of tailored mindfulness or narrative activities. The program replaces a social skills group in the regular intensive mental health program. Participants receive SPARE during a 6-month active phase at one site, while the other site continues treatment as usual, then the sites switch conditions. Participants will join group therapy sessions as part of their intensive mental health care, attending the program Monday through Friday for about 7 weeks on average. They will complete questionnaires at program intake, discharge, and again at 3 and 9 months after treatment ends to assess aggression, attitudes toward dating violence, digital relationship behaviors, depression, anxiety, disruptive behavior, and substance use. The study includes ongoing monitoring of these outcomes to understand the program's effects over time.

Trauma-Informed Peer Aggression and Dating Violence Prevention for Preteens Receiving Intensive Mental Health Services