A Randomized Controlled Trial of Miles de Manos (Thousands of Hands)

The purpose of this study, a randomized controlled trial, is to examine the outcomes, and potential mediators and moderators of those outcomes, related to a school-based youth violence program, Miles de Manos (Thousands of Hands; MdM), delivered within public primary schools within the country of Honduras. Miles de Manos (Thousands of Hands), which is conducted with parents/caregivers and teachers, was developed through a collaboration of a multinational group of practitioners, educators, administrators, scientists, and curriculum writers from Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Germany, and the United States with funding from the German non-governmental organization Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). It is similar in core content to evidence-based programs that were developed in the United States. During the development process, the program was piloted tested in Honduras multiple times, and is currently being employed in public primary schools across Honduras. The aims of the study are as follows: Aim 1. To examine the effectiveness of a culturally specified youth violence prevention program on improving effective parent and teacher behavior management practices and reducing both youth problem behaviors and youth association with peers and adults involved in problem behaviors. Aim 2. To investigate potential mediators of any outcomes due to the intervention, and specifically to conduct a test of the social learning theory underlying the intervention. Aim 3. To investigate potential moderators of any outcomes due to the intervention.