Exploring Mediated Psychosocial Effects on Dating Violence Perpetration and Victimization in the <i>Me &amp; You . . . Building Healthy Relationships</i> Program for Middle School Students

Teen dating violence (TDV) is a prevalent and injurious public health threat affecting adolescent populations across the globe. In response, a plethora of interventions have been developed and implemented with various effects emerging from evaluation studies of these prevention initiatives. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether attitudes toward sexting, gender-based norms toward violence, and constructive conflict resolution skills mediate the main effects of a TDV intervention. Specifically, this study leverages data from the original efficacy trial of the <i>Me & You</i> intervention to examine its causal effects on TDV outcomes among adolescents. Results indicate that intervention-induced changes in attitudes toward sexting significantly mediated the relationship between program participation and TDV perpetration. However, gender-based norms toward violence and conflict resolution skills did not emerge as significant mediators. Notably, the intervention significantly influenced all examined psychosocial mediators in the hypothesized direction. Overall, these findings provide a deeper understanding of the underlying psychosocial mechanisms through which the <i>Me & You</i> intervention exerts its influence and underscores the importance of addressing sexting attitudes in future TDV prevention efforts.