Well-Being Outcomes of a Participatory Intervention to Address Youth Violence: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Theory and evidence suggest that engaging youth in participatory interventions can enhance well-being. However, participation per se does not necessarily increase well-being, and evidence regarding the outcomes of participatory programs under controlled conditions remains limited. The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of a participatory intervention targeting youth violence on youth well-being using a quasi-experimental design. A total of 114 Italian upper secondary school students participated in the study, with half assigned to the intervention group and the remainder to the control group. The intervention was a brief participatory program to address youth violence, comprising four two-hour sessions. Well-being was assessed using the Mental Health Continuum–Short Form. At the end of the study, participants in the intervention group also responded to questions regarding their perceptions of the intervention and its effects. An ANCOVA with post-treatment well-being as the outcome revealed that participants in the intervention condition reported significantly higher post-treatment scores than those in the control condition (d = 0.30). On average, participants in the intervention condition evaluated their engagement in the program favorably. Specifically, mean scores ranged from 7 to 8 on an 11-point scale from 0 (not at all) to 10 (extremely). Engagement in this participatory program aimed at addressing youth violence may contribute to improved well-being.