Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research

Project Overview

The goal of this 3 year Fast-Track STTR is to develop and evaluate a multi-level (youth, parent, school) Internet-based healthy relationship and teen dating violence (DV) prevention program, ‘Me & You-Tech’ (MYTech), for predominantly racial/ethnic-minority 6th-grade middle school students.

Me & You – Tech (MYTech) is a web-based multi-level program for 6th graders, parents/caregivers and school staff. The student section includes 13 web-based lessons for students using modeling, skills practice, interactive quizzes, virtual role plays and peer videos. The parent section includes six lessons aligned with student lessons and activities promoting parent-child communication about healthy relationships. The school staff section includes three lessons on dating violence prevention and how to recognize, respond and refer students when needed.

Program Objectives:

• Assess efficacy of MYTech in impacting determinants of healthy/unhealthy dating relationships
• Assess efficacy of MYTech in impacting dating violence perpetration and victimization
• Assess impact of short and long-term psychological outcomes at levels of the social ecological model

Program topics include:

• Healthy friendships
• Managing emotions
• Positive coping skills
• Resisting peer pressure
• Constructive communication
• Healthy dating relationships
• Dating violence types and consequences
• Unfavorable norms toward violence
• Cyber safety and anti-trafficking awareness
• Getting out of unhealthy relationships