Runaway Intervention Program (RIP)

An Evidence-Based Practice

Description

The Runaway Intervention Program (RIP) is a hospital-based program that aims to improve the developmental trajectory of young runaway girls, ages 12-15, who have also been sexually assaulted or exploited.

RIP conducts a complete forensic assessment and health examination at baseline. After the initial assessment, Advanced Practice Nurses conduct home and school visits during which they provide healthcare, health education, and case management. In addition, licensed psychotherapists provide access to an optional girls' empowerment group held once a week.

During home visitation, the Advanced Practice Nurses work with girls and their families to help girls return home and to school and to improve family interactions. The Advanced Practice Nurses provide testing and treatment for STIs, pregnancy, and mental health, help girls develop self-care skills, and work to connect girls with camps or other extracurricular clubs that may provide positive experiences.

Goal / Mission

The goal of the Runaway Intervention Program is to prevent or reduce risky behaviors of young runaway girls that have been sexually abused or exploited in order to return participants to a healthy developmental trajectory.

Impact

This program is a promising intervention for restoring sexually abused runaway girls to a healthy developmental trajectory, with particular benefit to those who are at the highest risk.

Results / Accomplishments

A quasi-experimental study was used to evaluate the 68 girls that participated in RIP. In order to measure improvement over time, girls served as their own baselines. Participants in RIP achieved significant improvements from baseline to a six month follow-up, with the majority of improvements being sustained after 12 months.

At the 12-month follow up, significant improvement in self-esteem (p<.001), reductions in drug use in the past month (p<.001), emotional distress (p<.001), and suicide attempts (p<.01) were reported. Risky sexual behaviors were also improved, with most participants reporting condom use at last sex (p<.001) and current use of effective contraception (p<.001) at the 12-month follow-up.

Researchers also found that participants with the lowest baseline scores for self-esteem and school, family, or other adult connectedness, and highest emotional distress scores improved more than participants who reported better scores in those areas. This indicates that those who were of highest risk received the most benefit from this program.

About this Promising Practice

Organization(s)
Children's Hospital - St. Paul, Minnesota
Primary Contact
Elizabeth M. Saewyc
UBC School of Nursing
T201 2211 Wesbrook Mall
Vancouver, BC
Canada V6T 2B5
(604) 822-7505
elizabeth.saewyc@ubc.ca
https://nursing.ubc.ca/our-people/elizabeth-saewyc
Topics
Health / Adolescent Health
Organization(s)
Children's Hospital - St. Paul, Minnesota
Date of publication
Feb 2010
Date of implementation
2006
Geographic Type
Urban
Location
St. Paul, Minnesota
For more details
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20113924
http://www.cha-stpaul.org/programs/runaway-interve...
Target Audience
Teens

Related Promising Practices

  1. Girls' Circle
  2. HIV/STD Risk Reduction Interventions for African American and Latino Adolescent Girls
  3. Girls on the Run
  4. HIV Prevention Intervention for African American Adolescent Girls
  5. SAFE-T Program
  6. Adolescents Living Safely

More

An Evidence-Based Practice meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes at a minimum: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program implementation steps, and outcomes that have demonstrated program success in achieving the program goal in one or more localities.
  2. The results from an evaluation of the program include quantitative measures showing improvement in the outcome(s) of interest after the implementation of the program (i.e. increase in smoking cessation, not just the delivery of a smoking cessation program). The outcome measure(s) is/are compared at relevant time periods before and after the intervention or program implementation. Alternatively, the evaluation study compares the outcome(s) between an intervention group and an appropriate control group.
  3. The study is of peer-review quality and presents numbers in a scientific manner; measurements of precision and reliability are included (e.g. confidence intervals, standard errors), results from statistical tests show a significant difference or change in the outcome measure(s), and relevant point estimates and p-values are presented. Note: if the results from an evaluation of a program are presented in a scientific manner and the outcome measure is improved compared to the baseline measurement or the control group but the difference is not statistically significant, the practice is classified as effective and not evidence-based.