Creating Peace: Community-based Youth Violence Prevention to Address Racism and Discrimination

NCT04474158 | Completed

• 2 other identifiers: STUDY181100825R01MD013797-02
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 581
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This cluster-randomized community-partnered study will examine the effectiveness of a trauma-sensitive, gender transformative youth violence prevention program called Creating Peace that integrates racism and discrimination prevention with youth ages 14-19.

Conditions

Group, Peer; Violence, Non-accidental; Violence, Sexual; Violence, Domestic; Emotional Abuse; Coping Skills; Communication, Personal; Adolescent Behavior

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Change in recent use of any violence at 3 months

  Summary score of any recent use of violence (physical, sexual, and emotional abuse; sexual violence; physical violence and threatening with a weapon; cyber dating abuse, cyber peer abuse, and sexting) calculated as one point for each behavior then summed (lower score indicates better outcome)

  At baseline and three months after program conclusion

• Change in recent use of any violence at 9 months

  Summary score of any recent use of violence (physical, sexual, and emotional abuse; sexual violence; physical violence and threatening with a weapon; cyber dating abuse, cyber peer abuse, and sexting) calculated as one point for each behavior then summed (lower score indicates better outcome)

  At baseline and nine months after program.

Secondary Outcomes (4)

• Change in past 30 day weapon carrying at 3 months

  At baseline and three months after program conclusion

• Change in past 30 day weapon carrying at 9 months

  At baseline and nine months after program conclusion

• Change in positive bystander behaviors at 3 months

  At baseline and three months after program conclusion

• Change in positive bystander behaviors at 9 months

  At baseline and nine months after program conclusion

Study Arms (2)

Creating Peace

EXPERIMENTAL

Creating Peace uses a group discussion format with activities that explore race, gender, sexual identity, and social class. Creating Peace is a 12 session curriculum designed to support youth ages 14-19 in healing from experiences of trauma by restoring social connections, strengthening positive coping strategies that exclude all forms of violence, challenging gender norms that foster violence perpetration, and practicing positive bystander intervention skills to intervene safely with peers' disrespectful and harmful behaviors. Through 12 sessions (3 hours/session) over a 4 to 12 week period, Creating Peace offers gender transformative content combined with youth leadership development. Near program conclusion, youth will offer guidance to law enforcement on interacting with youth in a process of social restoration.

Behavioral: Creating Peace

Job Readiness Training

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Job Readiness Training uses a group discussion format to learn specific skills to prepare for employment including developing goals, seeking jobs, preparing for interviews, and so forth. Participants receive a 12 session job readiness training with linkages to businesses and employment opportunities. Discussions include a wide range of topics related to career exploration and job readiness.

Behavioral: Job Readiness

Interventions

Creating Peace BEHAVIORAL

Creating Peace is a 12 session curriculum designed to support youth ages 14-19 in healing from experiences of trauma by restoring social connections, strengthening positive coping strategies that exclude all forms of violence, challenging gender norms that foster violence perpetration, and practicing positive bystander intervention skills to intervene safely with peers' disrespectful and harmful behaviors. Through 12 sessions (3 hours/session) over a 4 to 12 week period, Creating Peace offers gender transformative content combined with youth leadership development. Near program conclusion, youth will offer guidance to law enforcement on interacting with youth in a process of social restoration.

Creating Peace

Job Readiness BEHAVIORAL

Job Readiness Training uses a group discussion format to learn specific skills to prepare for employment including developing goals, seeking jobs, preparing for interviews, and so forth.

Job Readiness Training

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 14 Years - 19 Years
• Gender Eligibility Details: Participants that self report any self-representation of gender identity to include, but not limited to, male, female, trans-male, trans-female or gender non conforming.
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Participants must be ages 14-19 (inclusive)
• Participants must speak English

You may not qualify if:

• Not ages 14-19 (inclusive)
• Do not speak English

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Institutes of Health (NIH): collaborator
• National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD): collaborator
• University of Pittsburgh: lead

Study Sites (1)

University of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15213, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Adolescent Behavior; Coitus; Communication

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavior; Sexual Behavior

Study Officials

• Elizabeth Miller, MD, PhD

  University of Pittsburgh

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor

Model Details: This cluster-randomized community-partnered study will examine the effectiveness of a trauma-sensitive, gender transformative youth violence prevention program called Creating Peace that integrates racism and discrimination prevention among youth ages 14-19. The study will be located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania across 24 neighborhoods with concentrated disadvantage ('clusters'), randomized either to receive the "Creating Peace" program (i.e., intervention neighborhood, n=12) or to a job skills training program (n=12 schools).

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: July 13, 2020
• First Posted: July 16, 2020
• Study Start: December 4, 2020
• Primary Completion: January 25, 2026
• Study Completion: January 25, 2026
• Last Updated: March 16, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-03

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)