Evaluating Community Violence Intervention Programs: A Scoping Review Synthesizing Methods and Measures
Community violence intervention (CVI) is a promising strategy to reduce community violence, but research on CVI programs remains underdeveloped. While prior reviews have examined the effectiveness of certain CVI models, we lack a comprehensive synthesis of how CVI research is done and what measures...
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| Language: | English |
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SAGE Publishing
2025-08-01
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| Series: | Inquiry: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/00469580251361742 |
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| author | Meron Girma MPH Julia Schleimer MPH, PhD Astrid Aveledo MPA Ayah Mustafa BA Camerin Rencken MPH, PhD Carolyn Thurston MA Deepika Nehra MD Kris Torset BA Kristian Jones MA, PhD Laura Johnson MSW Lauren Polansky MLS, MPH Olivia McCollum MPH Orlando Ames AA Rachel Ross MPH Sam Decker MBA Stephanie Taylor MPA Tarrell Harrison BAS Vivian Lyons MPH, PhD Zaheed Lynch BA Ali Rowhani-Rahbar MPH, MD, PhD |
| author_facet | Meron Girma MPH Julia Schleimer MPH, PhD Astrid Aveledo MPA Ayah Mustafa BA Camerin Rencken MPH, PhD Carolyn Thurston MA Deepika Nehra MD Kris Torset BA Kristian Jones MA, PhD Laura Johnson MSW Lauren Polansky MLS, MPH Olivia McCollum MPH Orlando Ames AA Rachel Ross MPH Sam Decker MBA Stephanie Taylor MPA Tarrell Harrison BAS Vivian Lyons MPH, PhD Zaheed Lynch BA Ali Rowhani-Rahbar MPH, MD, PhD |
| author_sort | Meron Girma MPH |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Community violence intervention (CVI) is a promising strategy to reduce community violence, but research on CVI programs remains underdeveloped. While prior reviews have examined the effectiveness of certain CVI models, we lack a comprehensive synthesis of how CVI research is done and what measures are used. We conducted a scoping review of CVI evaluation measures and methods in the United States, reviewing both peer-reviewed and gray literature from 1996 through 2023. We summarized characteristics of CVI program evaluations, including evaluation measures used, units of analysis, and involvement of external partners—including community members—in the evaluation. Of 1763 articles screened, 149 were included. A plurality of studies examined both outcome and process measures (38.9%), and use of process measures increased over time. Most outcome evaluations used only deficit-based measures (76.4%), with variation across CVI model/approach. Authors of studies included in this review reported that CVI practitioners contributed to evaluations in various ways, but only 10.7% of evaluations included CVI practitioners as authors. Process measures were most often collected at the individual level (84.2%), while outcome measures were collected relatively equally at the individual (56.6%) and community level (53.8%) though with notable variation across CVI models/approaches. Community partners working in CVI were part of our authorship team and offered critical insights into interpreting the findings from this scoping review. Findings underscore the need for a more comprehensive approach to CVI evaluation. By including process and outcome measures, including community-level units of analysis in addition to the typical individual-level ones, employing asset-based frameworks, and actively involving community voices, future research can more effectively assess the implementation and impacts of CVI programs. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-3a534c1abdd248e7baea7b9cc07aae55 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0046-9580 1945-7243 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Inquiry: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing |
| spelling | doaj-art-3a534c1abdd248e7baea7b9cc07aae552025-08-20T03:40:52ZengSAGE PublishingInquiry: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing0046-95801945-72432025-08-016210.1177/00469580251361742Evaluating Community Violence Intervention Programs: A Scoping Review Synthesizing Methods and MeasuresMeron Girma MPH0Julia Schleimer MPH, PhD1Astrid Aveledo MPA2Ayah Mustafa BA3Camerin Rencken MPH, PhD4Carolyn Thurston MA5Deepika Nehra MD6Kris Torset BA7Kristian Jones MA, PhD8Laura Johnson MSW9Lauren Polansky MLS, MPH10Olivia McCollum MPH11Orlando Ames AA12Rachel Ross MPH13Sam Decker MBA14Stephanie Taylor MPA15Tarrell Harrison BAS16Vivian Lyons MPH, PhD17Zaheed Lynch BA18Ali Rowhani-Rahbar MPH, MD, PhD19University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USAUniversity of Washington, Seattle, WA, USADispute Resolution Center of Grays Harbor and Pacific Counties, Aberdeen, WA, USAUniversity of Washington, Seattle, WA, USAUniversity of Washington, Seattle, WA, USADispute Resolution Center of Yakima and Kittitas Counties, Yakima, WA, USAUniversity of Washington, Seattle, WA, USADispute Resolution Center of Grays Harbor and Pacific Counties, Aberdeen, WA, USAUniversity of Washington, Seattle, WA, USAUniversity of Washington, Seattle, WA, USADepartment of Public Health, Seattle & King County, Seattle, WA, USAUniversity of Washington, Seattle, WA, USACommunity Passageways, Seattle, WA, USAUniversity of Washington, Seattle, WA, USADispute Resolution Center of Yakima and Kittitas Counties, Yakima, WA, USAPort of Support and Pathwayz to Success, Olympia, WA, USAUniversity of Washington, Seattle, WA, USAUniversity of Washington, Seattle, WA, USACommunity Passageways, Seattle, WA, USAUniversity of Washington, Seattle, WA, USACommunity violence intervention (CVI) is a promising strategy to reduce community violence, but research on CVI programs remains underdeveloped. While prior reviews have examined the effectiveness of certain CVI models, we lack a comprehensive synthesis of how CVI research is done and what measures are used. We conducted a scoping review of CVI evaluation measures and methods in the United States, reviewing both peer-reviewed and gray literature from 1996 through 2023. We summarized characteristics of CVI program evaluations, including evaluation measures used, units of analysis, and involvement of external partners—including community members—in the evaluation. Of 1763 articles screened, 149 were included. A plurality of studies examined both outcome and process measures (38.9%), and use of process measures increased over time. Most outcome evaluations used only deficit-based measures (76.4%), with variation across CVI model/approach. Authors of studies included in this review reported that CVI practitioners contributed to evaluations in various ways, but only 10.7% of evaluations included CVI practitioners as authors. Process measures were most often collected at the individual level (84.2%), while outcome measures were collected relatively equally at the individual (56.6%) and community level (53.8%) though with notable variation across CVI models/approaches. Community partners working in CVI were part of our authorship team and offered critical insights into interpreting the findings from this scoping review. Findings underscore the need for a more comprehensive approach to CVI evaluation. By including process and outcome measures, including community-level units of analysis in addition to the typical individual-level ones, employing asset-based frameworks, and actively involving community voices, future research can more effectively assess the implementation and impacts of CVI programs.https://doi.org/10.1177/00469580251361742 |
| spellingShingle | Meron Girma MPH Julia Schleimer MPH, PhD Astrid Aveledo MPA Ayah Mustafa BA Camerin Rencken MPH, PhD Carolyn Thurston MA Deepika Nehra MD Kris Torset BA Kristian Jones MA, PhD Laura Johnson MSW Lauren Polansky MLS, MPH Olivia McCollum MPH Orlando Ames AA Rachel Ross MPH Sam Decker MBA Stephanie Taylor MPA Tarrell Harrison BAS Vivian Lyons MPH, PhD Zaheed Lynch BA Ali Rowhani-Rahbar MPH, MD, PhD Evaluating Community Violence Intervention Programs: A Scoping Review Synthesizing Methods and Measures Inquiry: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing |
| title | Evaluating Community Violence Intervention Programs: A Scoping Review Synthesizing Methods and Measures |
| title_full | Evaluating Community Violence Intervention Programs: A Scoping Review Synthesizing Methods and Measures |
| title_fullStr | Evaluating Community Violence Intervention Programs: A Scoping Review Synthesizing Methods and Measures |
| title_full_unstemmed | Evaluating Community Violence Intervention Programs: A Scoping Review Synthesizing Methods and Measures |
| title_short | Evaluating Community Violence Intervention Programs: A Scoping Review Synthesizing Methods and Measures |
| title_sort | evaluating community violence intervention programs a scoping review synthesizing methods and measures |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1177/00469580251361742 |
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