In-School Evaluation of Bystander: A Game-Based Intervention for Sexual Violence Prevention

The investigators have developed a game-based sexual violence prevention program that uses a bystander intervention approach. This program is called Bystander and was designed for use with high school students in grades 9-12. The goal of this research is to evaluate the efficacy and feasibility of Bystander when implemented in a school setting. The research will capture data on knowledge about sexual violence and harassment, as well as attitudes, self-efficacy, perceived social norms and behavioral intentions around bystander behaviors. This research will consist of a baseline survey, program participation, a immediate post-program survey, and a 3-month follow up survey with youth participants. It will also involve qualitative in-depth interviews with school staff and administration about the program.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Bystander Behavioral Intentions
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Bystander, a game-based bystander intervention program; Behavioral: Infection City, a game-based program about meningitis

Detailed Description

Using the investigators' experience in game-based learning, digital media, behavior theory, and adolescent sexual and reproductive health, the investigators have developed a digital game-based sexual violence prevention program-Bystander-to be used with high school students to teach them about prosocial bystander behaviors and decrease acceptance of common rape myths. The goal of this research is to evaluate the efficacy and feasibility of Bystander when implemented in a school setting.

This study will evaluate Bystander, a four-module intervention program. Each module is designed to last one school class period. It includes 20 minutes of individual gameplay through an interactive narrative featuring prosocial bystander behaviors and discussions dispelling rape myths. Each module also includes facilitated class discussion about the topics covered that day.

The research team will conduct a pre/post efficacy and feasibility study that will capture data through a pre-, immediate post-, and 3-month follow up survey on knowledge about sexual violence and harassment, as well as attitudes, self-efficacy, perceived social norms and behavioral intentions around bystander behaviors (all measured at pre-, immediate post- and follow-up time points). It will also capture demographic information and previous bystander behaviors at baseline. It will finally involve qualitative in-depth interviews with school staff and administration about the program.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 601
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Illinois
    • Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60637
      • University of Chicao

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 13 years to 19 years (Child, Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age 13-19 years
• A student in grades 9-12 at one of three identified study site schools
• Able to speak and read English at a 7th grade level
• Provide informed consent and express willingness to complete the follow-up survey.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Intervention; Two schools (all students grades 9-12) will serve as the intervention group.Participants will complete a baseline survey that will take no longer than 30 minutes. Afterwards, a trained facilitator will delivery a game-based bystander intervention program aimed at teaching students the knowledge and skills to prevent or intervene in instances in sexual harassment and violence among peers. This will last for 4 class periods (approximately 45 minutes each period, 180 minutes total). Afterwards, participants will complete an immediate post-program survey lasting no more than 30 minutes. Three months later, students will fill out an a follow up survey lasting no more than 30 minutes. School staff and administrators will be interviewed to gather their insights on the program's feasibility and acceptability.	Behavioral: Bystander, a game-based bystander intervention program; A game-based, high school age-appropriate program delivered by trained facilitators for sexual violence and harassment intervention
Placebo Comparator: Delayed Control; One school (all students grades 9-12) will serve as a delayed control group. Participants will complete a baseline survey that will take no longer than 30 minutes. Afterwards, a trained facilitator will delivery a game-based health program unrelated to sexual health, sexual violence, sexual harassment, and bystander behaviors. This will last for 4 class periods (approximately 45 minutes each period, 180 minutes total). Afterwards, participants will complete an immediate post-program survey lasting no more than 30 minutes. Three months later, students will fill out an a follow up survey lasting no more than 30 minutes. After completing the follow-up survey, this group will follow the same procedures to deliver the bystander program and capture data outlined for the intervention group.	Behavioral: Bystander, a game-based bystander intervention program; A game-based, high school age-appropriate program delivered by trained facilitators for sexual violence and harassment intervention; Behavioral: Infection City, a game-based program about meningitis; A game-based, high school age-appropriate program delivered by trained facilitators to teach students about meningitis.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
change in bystander behavioral intention	measured via validated 11-item Bystander Attitude Scale-Revised by McMahon et al 2014	pre, immediate post, 3 month follow up
change in attitudes towards sexual violence and harassment	measured via validated 22-item Modified Illinois Rape Myth Acceptance Scale by McMahon 2011	pre, immediate post, 3 month follow up

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
change in knowledge of sexual harassment and violence	measured via validated 7-item Legal Knowledge Scale (Maxwell 2003)	pre, immediate post, 3 month follow up
change in knowledge of sexual harassment and violence	measured via Knowledge of Sexual Violence and Harassment index (Banyard et al 2005)	pre, immediate post, 3 month follow up
change in perceived social norms for bystander behaviors	measured via validated Social Norms Scale from Gidycz et al 2011	pre, immediate post, 3 month follow up
change in self-efficacy for bystander behaviors	measured via validated 14-item Bystander Efficacy Scale by Banyard et al 2004	pre, immediate post, 3 month follow up
change in self-efficacy for bystander behaviors	measured via validated 10-item MVP Efficacy Scale by Ward 2001	pre, immediate post, 3 month follow up
change in decisional balance for bystander behaviors	measured via validated 10-item Bystander Decisional Balance Scale by Banyard 2004	pre, immediate post, 3 month follow up
change in normative beliefs around sexual violence	measured via validated 8-item Reaction to Offensive Language Scale--Comfort Subscale by Loh 2005	pre, immediate post, 3 month follow up

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Chicago
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Melissa Gilliam, MD, MPH, University of Chicago

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Maxwell, Christopher D., Amanda L. Robinson, and Lori A. Post.
• McMahon, Sarah, and G. Lawrence Farmer.
• McMahon S, Allen CT, Postmus JL, McMahon SM, Peterson NA, Lowe Hoffman M. Measuring bystander attitudes and behavior to prevent sexual violence. J Am Coll Health. 2014;62(1):58-66. doi: 10.1080/07448481.2013.849258.
• Gidycz CA, Orchowski LM, Berkowitz AD. Preventing sexual aggression among college men: an evaluation of a social norms and bystander intervention program. Violence Against Women. 2011 Jun;17(6):720-42. doi: 10.1177/1077801211409727. Epub 2011 May 12.
• Banyard, Victoria L., Elizabethe G. Plante, and Mary M. Moynihan.
• Ward CL, Flisher AJ, Zissis C, Muller M, Lombard C. Exposure to violence and its relationship to psychopathology in adolescents. Inj Prev. 2001 Dec;7(4):297-301. doi: 10.1136/ip.7.4.297.
• Loh C, Gidycz CA, Lobo TR, Luthra R. A prospective analysis of sexual assault perpetration: risk factors related to perpetrator characteristics. J Interpers Violence. 2005 Oct;20(10):1325-48. doi: 10.1177/0886260505278528.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): October 1, 2016
• Primary Completion (Actual): October 1, 2017
• Study Completion (Actual): October 1, 2017

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 28, 2016
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 28, 2016
• First Posted (Estimate): September 29, 2016

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): February 23, 2023
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 21, 2023
• Last Verified: February 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: IRB15-1404