Teen dating violence interventions for sexual minority youth: A scoping review

Abstract Background. Sexual minority youth (SMY) are disproportionately impacted by teen dating violence (TDV). However, current interventions do not address the distinct needs of SMY. Culturally safe and effective TDV prevention interventions targeted to SMY are needed. The purpose of this review is to (1) examine TDV interventions that are inclusive of SMY and (2) determine the effectiveness of the interventions in terms of both knowledge and behavioral changes.Methods. A scoping review was conducted and includes studies that met the following inclusion criteria: (1) evaluated a TDV prevention program,(2) included participants who identify as lesbian/gay, bisexual, unsure, or queer; (3) reported outcomes for SMY; and (4) were published in the English language. The Effective Public Health Project Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies and Garrard Matrix Method were employed to critically evaluate articles and synthesize findings.Results. A comprehensive search was conducted using five electronic databases that revealed 878 articles. Three articles were included in this review. Findings revealed that culturally targeted interventions improved dating violence knowledge and decreased the acceptance of sexual violence from pre-post intervention. However, current interventions have limited impact on behavioral outcomes among SMY. Moreover, quality assessments revealed that existing interventions were either weak or moderate, highlighting the need for additional research and culturally targeted TDV interventions.Discussion/Conclusion. Implications for future intervention development regarding measurement, recruiting and community partnership, institutional review board issues, improving behavioral outcomes, addressing unique risk factors, cultural targeting, intervention design, and methodological approaches are described.