Perceptions of middle school youth about school bullying

Ybarra ML, Espelage DL, Valido A, Hong JS, Prescott TL. Perceptions of middle school youth about school bullying. J Adolesc. 2019 Aug;75:175-187. doi: 10.1016/j.adolescence.2018.10.008. Epub 2018 Nov 7. Abstract: Introduction: Bullying prevention remains a major focus for schools yet prevention programs have yielded limited efficacy. This suggests that efforts to make the programs more salient for youth may result in greater reductions in bullying behavior. Methods: To inform the development of a text messaging-based bullying prevention program for middle school youth, we conducted two online, asynchronous focus groups with 37 youth in grades 6-8. Youth were recruited across the United States using an online panel. Topics and questions were posted twice-daily across three days; … [Read more...]

Primary prevention of perpetration and experience of forced sex for South African youth requires careful attention to risk in context

Bull SS, Ybarra ML. Primary Prevention of Perpetration and Experience of Forced Sex for South African Youth Requires Careful Attention to Risk in Context. JAMA Netw Open. 2018 Aug 3;1(4):e181222. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2018.1222. PubMed ID: 30646108. View full article for free (will open new page on publisher’s website) … [Read more...]

The effect of a text messaging based HIV prevention program on sexual minority male youths: A national evaluation of information, motivation and behavioral skills in a randomized controlled trial of Guy2Guy

Ybarra ML, Liu W, Prescott TL, Phillips II G, Mustanski B. The effect of a text messaging based HIV prevention program on sexual minority male youths: A national evaluation of information, motivation and behavioral skills in a randomized controlled trial of Guy2Guy. Journ. of Adolesc. 2018. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-018-2118-1 Abstract: There is a paucity of literature documenting how the constructs of the Information–Motivation–Behavioral Skills (IMB) model are affected by exposure to technology-based HIV prevention programs. Guy2Guy, based on the IMB model, is the first comprehensive HIV prevention program delivered via text messaging and tested nationally among sexual minority adolescent males. Between June and November 2014, 302 14–18year old gay, bisexual, and/or queer … [Read more...]

Characteristics of bias-based harassment incidents reported by a national sample of U.S. adolescents

Jones LM, Mitchell KJ, Turner HA, Ybarra ML. Characteristics of bias-based harassment incidents reported by a national sample of U.S. adolescents. Journ of Adolesc. 2018; 65: 50-60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2018.02.013 Abstract Using a national sample of youth from the U.S., this paper examines incidents of bias-based harassment by peers that include language about victims' perceived sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, religion, weight or height, or intelligence. Telephone interviews were conducted with youth who were 10–20 years old (n = 791). One in six youth (17%) reported at least one experience with bias-based harassment in the past year. Bias language was a part of over half (52%) of all harassment incidents experienced by youth. Perpetrators of bias-based harassment … [Read more...]

Mobile health intervention development principles: Lessons from an adolescent cyberbullying intervention

Ranney ML, Pittman SK, Ybarra M, Huang J, Spirito A, Rosen R. Mobile health intervention development principles: Lessons from an adolescent cyberbullying intervention. Soc Media & Healthcare Tech. 2018; 3329-3338. http://hdl.handle.net/10125/50310 Abstract Mobile health interventions are becoming increasingly popular, yet challenges in developing effective, user-friendly, evidence-based technology augmented interventions persist. In this paper, we describe the process of developing an acceptable, evidence-based text messaging program for adolescents experiencing cyberbullying in hopes of addressing some of the challenges encountered by many researchers and developers in this area of intervention development. Participants were 23 adolescents with past-year histories of … [Read more...]

Why girls choose not to use barriers to prevent sexually transmitted infection during female-to-female sex

Doull M, Wolowic J, Saewyc E, Rosario M, Prescott T, Ybarra M. Why girls choose not to use barriers to prevent sexually transmitted infection during female-to-female sex. Journ. of Adoles. Health. 2017; 1-6. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2017.10.005 Abstract: Purpose: Using data from a national qualitative study of lesbian, bisexual, and other sexual minority adolescent girls in the U.S., this study examined their awareness of the risk of sexually transmitted infection (STI) and opportunities for barrier use. Methods: Online asynchronous focus groups were conducted with lesbian and bisexual (LB) girls ages 14–18 years. Girls were assigned to online groups based on their self-identified sexual identity and whether they were sexually experienced or not. Two moderators … [Read more...]

Predicting the emergence of sexual violence in adolescence

Ybarra ML, Thompson RE. Predicting the emergence of sexual violence in adolescence. Prev Sci.  Published online July 07, 2017. doi: 10.1007/s11121-017-0810-4. Abstract: This study aims to report the epidemiology of sexual violence (SV) perpetration for both female and male youth across a broad age spectrum. Additionally, the etiology of SV perpetration is examined by identifying prior exposures that predict a first SV perpetration. Six waves of data were collected nationally online, between 2006 and 2012, from 1586 youth between 10 and 21 years of age. Five types of SV were assessed: sexual harassment, sexual assault, coercive sex, attempted rape, and rape. To identify how prior exposures may predict the emergence of SV in adolescence, parsimonious lagged multivariable logistic … [Read more...]

Pilot RCT results of an mHealth HIV prevention program for sexual minority male adolescents

Ybarra ML, Prescott TL, Phillips II GL, Bull SS, Parsons JT, Mustanski B. Pilot RCT results of an mHealth HIV prevention program for sexual minority male adolescents. Peds. 2017; 140 (1): 1-10. 10.1542/peds.2016-2999. Abstract: BACKGROUND: Guy2Guy (G2G) is the first comprehensive HIV prevention program developed for sexual minority males as young as 14 years old and is delivered nationally via text messaging. Here, we report the results of the pilot randomized control trial. METHODS: G2G was tested against an attention-matched "healthy lifestyle" control (eg, self-esteem). Both programs lasted 5 weeks and delivered 5 to 10 text messages daily. A 1-week booster was delivered 6 weeks subsequently. Participants were cisgender males ages 14 to 18 years old who were gay, bisexual, and/or … [Read more...]

Reaching adolescent gay, bisexual, and queer men online: Development and refinement of a national recruitment strategy

Prescott TL, Phillips G, 2nd, Dubois LZ, Bull S, Mustanski B, Ybarra ML. Reaching adolescent gay, bisexual, and queer men online: Development and refinement of a national recruitment strategy. J Med Internet Res. 2016;18(8):e200. doi: 10.2196/jmir.5602. Abstract: BACKGROUND: Using social networking websites to recruit research participants is increasingly documented in the literature, although few studies have leveraged these sites to reach those younger than 18 years. OBJECTIVE: To discuss the development and refinement of a recruitment protocol to reach and engage adolescent gay, bisexual, and other teenaged men who have sex with men (AGBM). Participants were recruited for development and evaluation activities related to Guy2Guy, a text messaging–based human immunodeficiency virus … [Read more...]

Stepwise development a text messaging-based bullying prevention program for middle school students (BullyDown)

Ybarra ML, Prescott TL, Espelage DL. Stepwise development a text messaging-based bullying prevention program for middle school students (BullyDown). JMIR mHealth uHealth. 2016;4(2):e60. doi: 10.2196/mhealth.4936. Abstract: BACKGROUND: Bullying is a significant public health issue among middle school-aged youth. Current prevention programs have only a moderate impact. Cell phone text messaging technology (mHealth) can potentially overcome existing challenges, particularly those that are structural (e.g., limited time that teachers can devote to non-educational topics). To date, the description of the development of empirically-based mHealth-delivered bullying prevention programs are lacking in the literature. OBJECTIVE: To describe the development of BullyDown, a text messaging-based … [Read more...]