CVI research and evaluation road map scoping review

Abstract

Our scoping review maps research and evaluation of Community Violence Interventions (CVI) to identify topics that have been explored, common approaches to CVI evaluation to date, opportunities to develop a richer understanding of CVI, and implications for future research, practice, and policy. The scoping review consisted of two components: (1) a peer-reviewed literature search and (2) a gray literature search and followed Arksey and O’Malley’s systematic process for synthesizing and mapping research evidence across diverse study designs. We found that CVI research and evaluation covered a variety of topics, including intervention effectiveness, program implementation, workforce experiences, and others, such as CVI frameworks and program prevalence. Most studies described multiple intervention components or strategies in the introduction sections. However, less than one-quarter of articles measured any activities. Studies used a diversity of outcome measures to assess CVI program success, including violence rates, mental health indicators, and community cohesion metrics. Analyses showed mixed effectiveness in reducing rates of gun violence and homicides but high success in other less common metrics. The review identified gaps in CVI research and evaluation. The findings from this scoping review confirm the potential of CVI programs as a vital component of public health and safety strategies in violence-affected communities. It provides several key implications for CVI practice, policy, and research, including the need to balance standardization and flexibility to tailor interventions, to increase investment in workforce support and capacity building, to broaden the scope of outcomes, and to promote data infrastructure to support CVI innovation.