Youth Violence Prevention Interventions (R01 - Clinical Trial Required)

Overview

The purpose of this initiative is to support research to develop and test multilevel youth violence prevention interventions that include strategies which address structural discrimination and other social determinants of health. Interventions will focus on youth populations that experience health disparities between the ages of 10 to 24 years. NIH-designated populations with health disparities include Blacks/African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, American Indians/Alaska Natives, Asians, Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders, socioeconomically disadvantaged populations, undeserved rural populations, and sexual and gender minorities.

Interventions may involve (a) the combination of existing violence prevention and discrimination prevention interventions, (b) the addition of newly developed discrimination prevention elements into existing violence prevention interventions, or (c) the development of new, fully integrated violence/discrimination prevention interventions. Discrimination prevention components should address structural discrimination. Discrimination may be related to race/ethnicity and/or the intersection of race/ethnicity with other statuses among youth that experience health disparities, such as sexual/gender minority status, disability status, social class, rural residents, immigration status, limited English proficiency, or physical characteristics.

Examples of structural discrimination reduction strategies include, but are not limited to, the following:

• adjustment of policies or practices that differentially impact certain populations of youth
• monitoring to ensure equitable enforcement of policies
• cultural competency and diversity training for organizational personnel

Projects are expected to have the following features:

• To use an approach that encompasses multiple domains (e.g., biological, behavioral, socio-cultural, environmental, physical environment, or health system) and multiple levels (e.g., individual, interpersonal, community, societal) to address youth violence (see the NIMHD Research Framework https://www.nimhd.nih.gov/about/overview/research-framework.html). 
• To involve collaborations from a variety of relevant organizations or groups, including but not limited to academic institutions, clinicians, health systems, state and local public health agencies, school systems, school-based student or parent associations, community-based organizations, and faith-based organizations. 
• To be delivered in any variety of settings, such as schools, hospitals, community organizations, faith-based organizations, or juvenile justice settings. 
• To have the potential for sustainability in the intervention setting after the project is over, as well as scalability to be implemented in other settings.

Baseline data identifying the prevalence of violence or aggressive behavior and indicators of discrimination should support the rationale for the selection of the intervention content and setting. Research designs should allow for the assessment of mechanisms through which the intervention elements produce changes in the targeted outcomes. Projects should include outcome measures of actual violent behavior at the individual, setting, or community level. Outcomes that are limited only to changes in attitudes or behavioral intentions are not sufficient. Research designs comparing violence prevention interventions with and without structural discrimination prevention components are strongly encouraged.

Specific Areas of Research Interest

Violence prevention targets of interest include but are not limited to the following:

• •Firearm injury and related violence
• Suicide
• Fighting, bullying, and cyberbullying
• School-based violence
• Dating violence (including emotional, physical, and sexual violence)
• Family violence
• Violent behavior in social service and/or community-based settings 

Structural discrimination prevention targets of interest include but are not limited to the following:

• Hate crimes
• Law enforcement practices
• Criminal justice practices
• School disciplinary practices
• Classroom/teacher practices
• Behavior of neighborhood businesses and services
• Media and social media messages

 Only accepting applications that propose clinical trial(s).

Application budgets are limited to $500,000 direct costs annually.

NIMHD intends to fund 4-5 awards.

The maximum project period is 5 years.