Adhia Avanti, Richey Ann E, Hardenbergh Leah, Sharma Armaan, McMahon Sarah
Department of Child, Family, and Population Health Nursing, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington; Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.
Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.
J Adolesc Health. 2025 Sep 12. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2025.06.040.
Many US states and school districts have enacted laws and policies to address teen dating violence (TDV) in schools. There is mixed evidence around their effectiveness, underscoring the need to examine whether and how schools are implementing TDV laws and policies. This study explored barriers to and facilitators of implementing TDV policies and programs in high schools.
We conducted semistructured interviews with school staff (n = 14) and students (n = 22) in four states with long-standing TDV laws that require districts to develop written TDV policies and provide educational programs (New Jersey, Texas, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts). Interview topics included knowledge and awareness of TDV and response to TDV through policies and programs. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using codebook thematic analysis in Dedoose. Barriers and facilitators were organized by relevant domains of the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research.
Implementation barriers and facilitators were identified in the outer setting, inner setting, and individuals domains. Barriers included community pushback and norms, lack of training and resources for TDV, and limited awareness of laws and policies. Facilitators included state-level mandates to address TDV, clear policies and procedures, additional staff training, and willingness to recognize TDV as an issue.
Our findings highlight the multilevel determinants of how schools address TDV through policies and programs and the substantial unmet need that remains. While written laws and policies are promising systems-level strategies to reduce TDV, further resources and attention devoted to implementation are critical to ensure TDV is addressed effectively within schools.
美国许多州和学区已颁布法律和政策，以应对学校中的青少年约会暴力（TDV）问题。关于这些法律和政策的有效性，证据不一，这凸显了审视学校是否以及如何实施TDV法律和政策的必要性。本研究探讨了高中实施TDV政策和项目的障碍与促进因素。
我们对四个有长期TDV法律（要求学区制定书面TDV政策并提供教育项目）的州（新泽西州、得克萨斯州、罗德岛州和马萨诸塞州）的学校工作人员（n = 14）和学生（n = 22）进行了半结构化访谈。访谈主题包括对TDV的了解和认识以及通过政策和项目对TDV的应对。访谈进行了录音、转录，并在Dedoose中使用编码本主题分析进行分析。障碍和促进因素按照实施研究综合框架的相关领域进行组织。
在外部环境、内部环境和个人领域中确定了实施障碍和促进因素。障碍包括社区的抵制和规范、缺乏TDV方面的培训和资源以及对法律和政策的认识有限。促进因素包括州一级应对TDV的指令、明确的政策和程序、额外的工作人员培训以及将TDV视为一个问题的意愿。
我们的研究结果突出了学校如何通过政策和项目应对TDV的多层次决定因素以及仍然存在的大量未满足需求。虽然书面法律和政策是减少TDV的有前景的系统层面策略，但投入更多资源和关注实施对于确保学校有效应对TDV至关重要。
