JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Introduction: Homicide is the third leading cause of death for U.S. adolescents and the leading cause among Black youth; youth violence also contributes to significant mental health burden and educational disruption, with highest impact in neighborhoods with limited resources. Programs that address intersecting determinants, including social factors and limited economic opportunity, may reduce violence experience and perpetration.

Objective:

This protocol paper describes a community-partnered, two-arm cluster randomized trial across 16 neighborhoods (12 in Pittsburgh, PA and 4 in the Washington DC region) evaluating the Forging Hopeful Futures (FHF) intervention, enrolling approximately 720 youth ages 13-19 years.

Methods:

FHF comprises 12 sessions delivered over 6–12 weeks by trusted community facilitators and addresses conflict resolution, peer and intimate partner relationships, youth leadership, and job readiness with connections to employment and mentorship. Comparison clusters receive enhanced usual care (individual wellness check-ins). Assessments occur at baseline, end-of-program, 3 months, and 6 months post-program. Primary outcomes are violence involvement (experience and perpetration); secondary outcomes include experiences of multiple types of violence (e.g. relationship abuse, sexual violence, bullying, weapon carrying). Implementation data are collected using RE-AIM-informed tools and qualitative interviews.

Results:

Primary analyses will estimate intervention effects on recent violence perpetration, using generalized linear mixed models with random effects for neighborhood and participant, adjusting for baseline values and city. Exploratory analyses will examine mediation (e.g., shifts in attitudes) and moderation (e.g., baseline risk profiles).

Conclusions:

This trial is designed to provide rigorous effectiveness and implementation evidence to inform policy and practice in youth violence prevention. If demonstrated to be effective, FHF could serve as an integrated, scalable model that addresses social and economic drivers of youth violence and leverages community partnerships for sustainability. This trial is designed to provide rigorous effectiveness and implementation evidence to inform policy and practice in youth violence prevention. If demonstrated to be effective, FHF could serve as an integrated, scalable model that addresses social and economic drivers of youth violence and leverages community partnerships for sustainability. Clinical Trial: The trial is registered at https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05743478