Evaluation of My Future Self, an New Teen Pregnancy Prevention Group Intervention for Youth in Non-traditional Settings

My Future Self is based upon the Theory of Possible Selves, which promotes the capacity of young people to construct goals for a successful adulthood. Youth who hold a balanced set of negative and positive images of their future have both a) a positive goal to strive for and b) awareness of the personally relevant consequences of not meeting that goal. My Future Self also includes two new supportive gaming elements that reinforce learning of relevant knowledge and skills as well as provide opportunities for youth to individually practice these skills in a personalized virtual environment. Gaming interventions using interactive technology can significantly increase self-reported abstinence and lower reports of diagnosed STD in young women, as well as reduce risky sex in high-risk young men who have sex with men. Youth will participate in these gaming elements on tablets provided by CHLA. My Future Self will be implemented as a ninety-minute small group 5-week program.