The Impact on Peer Facilitators of Facilitating a School-Based Healthy Relationship Program for Teens.

IntroductionTeen dating violence is described using many terms, including intimate partner violence, dating abuse, domestic violence/abuse, and relationship violence/abuse (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2014). Regardless of the term, most define teen dating violence as physical, sexual, or emotional/psychological abuse or violence and stalking between adolescent individuals who are currently or have formerly been involved in some sort of a romantic relationship (CDC, 2014; Loveisrespect, 2014; National Center for Victims of Crime, 2012; National Institute of Justice, 2008). Each year, more than one million high school students experience physical abuse from a dating partner and one in three adolescents in the United States experiences some form of dating violence (CDC, 2006). These traumatic experiences are known to have long-term negative effects, including an increased likelihood of substance abuse, eating disorders, self-esteem issues, depression, and future domestic violence victimization and perpetration (Offenhauer & Buchalter, 2011; Silverman, Raj, Mucci, & Hathaway, 2001). In recognition of the risk to teens of experiencing victimization, school-based awareness and prevention programs have been implemented and evaluated. These programs often have an abuse awareness focus (e.g., signs of abuse, resources for help, how to help a friend in an abusive relationship) or a healthy relationships focus (e.g., signs of a healthy relationship, how to promote healthy relationship behaviors). Most of these programs are adult led and are provided to youth in high schools (Mulford & Blachman-Demner, 2013; Whitaker et al., 2006). Although there have been studies of the effects of other types of prevention programming on adolescent and college-age peer educators (Clouder, Davies, Sams, & McFarland, 2012; Jennings, Howard, & Perotte, 2014; Noel, Rost, & Gromer, 2013; Sawyer, Pinciaro, & Bedwell, 1997), few evaluations have been conducted on peer-facilitated healthy relationship or dating violence awareness programming in general and none were identified that incorporated analysis of the experiences of the peer facilitators in their roles. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to assess the impact of a school-based, peer-facilitated, five-week healthy relationship program on the facilitators themselves, including how the opportunity to deliver the curriculum affected their own thinking about and behaviors in regard to their personal relationships.Literature ReviewTeen dating violence awareness and prevention programs generally demonstrate effectiveness in terms of participants' knowledge acquisition and positive attitude change, and to a lesser degree, desired shortor long-term behavioral outcomes (Antle, Sullivan, Dryden, Karam, & Barbee, 2011; Avery-Leaf, Cascardi, O'Leary, & Cano,1997; Fellmeth Heffernan, Nurse, Habibula, & Sethi, 2013; Taylor, Stein, & Burden, 2010; Ting, 2009; Whitaker et al., 2006). Most of the programming is developed and led by adults (Weisz & Black, 2010; Whitaker et al., 2006), typically community-based professionals, such as law enforcement, social workers, or staff at domestic or sexual violence organizations, and school-based staff, such as teachers, nurses, or guidance counselors (Whitaker et al., 2006). School settings are common locales for teen dating violence prevention programming, and given the link between violence exposure and subsequent mental health problems, it is critical that schools become involved in violence prevention and intervention efforts (Wong et al., 2007). Peer education is considered a desirable format for teen dating violence prevention, in addition to being relevant, engaging, and empowering to youth by providing social role models for healthy relationships (Weisz & Black, 2010). In fact, in a national study, fifty-two youthfocused dating violence and sexual assault prevention programs in the United States endorsed peer education (Weisz & Black, 2010). …