Implementing a Coach-Delivered Dating Violence Prevention Program with High School Athletes

Bystander Intervention in Football and Sports. A Quasi-Experimental Feasibility Study of a Bystander Violence Prevention Program in the United Kingdom

In recent years, social campaigns and high-profile cases have brought increased attention to violence against women. Athletes can be role models, shaping both prosocial and antisocial attitudes. Their engagement in violence prevention could be an effective tool to tackle violence against women through bystander intervention. This part of a mixed-method feasibility study reports on the quantitative evaluation of an evidence-led bystander program, Football Onside, implemented at a football club in South West England in June 2018 to February 2020. The study employed a quasi-experimental design with intervention and control groups. Football coaches and club members (n = 50) completed measures of rape and domestic abuse myths, bystander intent and efficacy, self-reported bystander behaviors, readiness for change, perceptions of peer helping and myth acceptance, law knowledge, and program evaluation. Fidelity was also assessed. The analysis compared between- and within-group differences in mean changes over time using mixed-effects models. Participant ratings of learning outcomes were high, and fidelity was maintained throughout the intervention. Between-group comparison revealed mixed results, with greater improvements in the intervention group for bystander intent and efficacy at post-test and follow-up, domestic abuse myths at post-test, and rape myth acceptance at follow-up. Model contrasts for within intervention group revealed improvements in rape and domestic abuse myth acceptance, bystander intent and efficacy, perceived law knowledge at both time points, and perceived peer myths and helping at post-test. At follow-up, intervention participants reported significantly higher engagement in bystander behaviors. No significant effects were found for perceived importance of legal knowledge. Our research highlights the potential efficacy of a bystander program tailored for football club members. Cluster-randomized control trials are now required to examine bystander attitudes and behavior change processes among professional athletes.

Exploring the Activities and Target Audiences of School-Based Violence Prevention Programs: Systematic Review and Intervention Component Analysis

Adolescents are at an increased risk for experiencing dating and relationship violence (DRV) and gender-based violence (GBV). School-based interventions remain an important and frequently used method for DRV/GBV prevention. A clear understanding and description of the different components of school-based interventions specific to DRV/GBV is needed to organize and advance the array of prevention efforts being utilized in school settings. We conducted an intervention component analysis to create a taxonomy for school-based interventions addressing DRV and GBV. We searched 21 databases in July 2020 and updated searches in June 2021, alongside extensive supplementary search methods. We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in adolescents of compulsory school-age that were implemented within the school setting which partially or wholly focused on DRV and GBV topics. Our analysis included 68 studies describing 76 different school-based interventions. Through an iterative coding process we identified 40 intervention components organized within 13 activity categories, including both student-directed components and non-student-directed components such as activities for school personnel and family members of students. We also identified components addressing higher levels of the social-ecological model including structural-social and structural-environmental aspects of DRV/GBV which prior reviews have not considered. This taxonomy of components and synthesis of intervention efficacy for DRV/GBV school-based interventions provides a framework for comparing past intervention evaluations and constructing new interventions to address these issues at multiple levels within a community.

Neighborhood Social Support and Social Participation as Predictors of Dating Violence

Many adolescents experience violence in the context of dating and romantic relationships. Neighborhoods can influence dating violence by offering certain resources which can provide social support and opportunities for social participation, but knowledge about these effects is still limited. The purpose of the current study was to (a) assess the association between neighborhood social support, social participation, and dating violence, and (b) explore possible gender difference in these associations. This study was conducted on a subsample of 511 participants living in Montréal from the Québec Health Survey of High School Students (QHSHSS 2016-2017). QHSHSS data were used to measure psychological and physical/sexual violence (perpetration and victimization), neighborhood social support, and social participation, as well as individual and family covariates. Several neighborhood-level data from multiple sources were also used as covariates. Logistic regressions were performed to estimate associations between neighborhood social support and social participation, and Dating violence (DV). Analyses were conducted separately for girls and boys to explore possible gender differences. Findings suggest that girls who reported high neighborhood social support had a lower risk of perpetrating psychological DV. High social participation was associated with a lower risk of perpetrating physical/sexual DV for girls, whereas it was associated with a higher risk of perpetrating psychological DV for boys. Preventive strategies to foster social support in neighborhoods, such as mentoring programs, and the development of community organizations to increase the social participation of adolescents could help reduce DV. To address the perpetration of DV by boys, prevention programs in community and sports organizations targeting male peer groups should also be developed to prevent these behaviors.

A Coach-Delivered Dating Violence Prevention Program: Coach Perspectives on Implementation

Coaching Boys into Men (CBIM), an evidence-based violence prevention program, utilizes the coach-athlete relationship to deliver information about healthy, respectful relationships to adolescent boys involved in athletics. Although CBIM has demonstrated effectiveness in clinical research trials, its implementation outside of an effectiveness study has not been explored. The purpose of this current study was to explore facilitators and barriers of effective implementation in community settings using experiences from one regional implementation in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Head coaches who implemented CBIM from 2017-2018 seasons (n = 35) were contacted and 22 (63%) agreed to participate. Coaches were asked how they delivered CBIM to their team, what aided the process, barriers to facilitation, and their overall thoughts on CBIM implementation. Interviews were structured to uncover specific information regarding implementation while also providing time and space for coaches to voice their suggestions and opinions. Interviews were coded using descriptive content analysis. Key facilitators to implementation were involvement of violence prevention advocates, athletic directors, assistant coaches, and players and having flexibility to integrate current events to emphasize topics covered in CBIM. Observed improvements in bystander intervention behaviors and better attitudes towards women and girls among athletes were key motivators for coaches to continue the program. Main barriers were inconsistencies in time available to discuss topics with players and need to refresh curriculum content over multiple seasons. Coaches identified components necessary for broader and sustained implementation of this evidence-based violence prevention intervention in community settings. Coaches' confidence in delivering program content can be bolstered with appropriate strategies in place to address barriers. As coaches witness positive impacts among their athletes, these successes contribute to coaches recognizing their role in transforming sports into a platform for community-wide violence prevention.

A mixed-methods evaluation of college student and provider perspectives on a smartphone application for help-seeking after violence

To elicit feedback on the acceptability, usability, and dissemination options for the bMOREsafe smartphone application (app). Participants: Forty-nine students and six service-providers provided feedback on the bMOREsafe app between April 2015 and March 2016. Methods: Students responded to an anonymous online survey and providers participated in semi-structured interviews. Descriptive and thematic analyses were completed. Results: Students rated the app as useful, however less applicable to themselves and their peers. Students stated they would be most receptive to recommendations about the app from peers and social media. Qualitative data from service providers fell into three main categories: trauma-informed aspects; inclusivity vs. specificity; and within an app, language matters. Conclusions: Smartphone technology can provide confidential information and resources to help students make decisions related to sexual assault or intimate partner violence care. While students and providers identified apps as a useful strategy for sharing this information, dissemination challenges remain.

Efficacy of a bystander intervention for preventing dating violence in Brazilian adolescents: short-term evaluation

Peers are the preferred source of help for Brazilian adolescents who experience dating violence. However, they are not always the best informants for effective responses for dealing with situations of violence in romantic relationships among peers. This experimental study aimed to evaluate the short-term efficacy of three aspects of a peer- and bystander approach-based intervention: the intent to offer help, empathy, and bystander attitudes in response to dating violence in a Brazilian sample of adolescents. The study's participants were 33 adolescents randomized in two groups: experimental group (EG, n = 14) and control group (CG, n = 19). The EG underwent three weekly intervention sessions of 90 min each on the healthy versus violent romantic relationships, the quality of friendship in the peer network, and the role of the bystander, while the CG received no intervention. Evaluations were performed 1 week before and two and half months after the intervention. Statistically significant differences between EG and CG at post-test were not found in intention to help, empathy, and bystander attitudes. Future studies should include evaluations of larger samples and mid- and long-term follow-ups to identify patterns of change over the long term as well as examine barriers to utilization of bystander behaviors by adolescents in Brazilian culture.