Preventing Sexual Violence Among Middle School Boys With a Strengths-Based Curriculum

Testing the Efficacy of a Strengths-Based Curriculum to Reduce Risk for Future Sexual Violence Perpetration Among Middle School Boys

This research will examine if participation in a strengths-based curriculum, the Brothers as Allies program adapted from the Council for Boys and Young Men, reduces risk for future sexual violence perpetration among middle school-aged boys in New York State.

Study Overview

• Status: Unknown
• Conditions: Sexual Violence
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Brothers as Allies; Behavioral: Programming-as-Usual

Detailed Description

Using a longitudinal waitlist control design, this study will evaluate the efficacy of a strengths-based curriculum, the Brothers as Allies program from the Council for Boys and Young Men, to reduce risk for future sexual violence perpetration with middle school-aged boys (ages 12-14) in New York State. This research will examine if participation in the program decreases negative behaviors (such as later sexual violence perpetration and sexual aggression) and increases positive behaviors (such as bystander intervention and caring/cooperative behaviors) amongst program participants, in comparison to participants who participate in programming-as-usual. Other potential moderators and outcomes linked to sexual violence victimization and sexual assault perpetration (including attitudes related to gender roles, acceptance of sexual violence, and interpersonal relationships) will also be measured. The research team will also assess the extent to which the curriculum, when implemented with fidelity and quality, leads to improved relationships and stronger connections with adults in afterschool or other community-based youth-program settings. All participants will complete surveys at baseline, immediate post-intervention, and at 3 and 6 months post-intervention. Finally, the investigators will also assess the implementation factors which impact the efficacy of this program, such as fidelity and quality of program delivery. The research team hypothesizes participants in the Brothers as Allies program will show post-intervention decreased sexual violence perpetration, less acceptance of sexual violence, less stereotypic gender role attitudes, greater youth-adult connectedness, and increased bystander intervention, caring, and cooperation behaviors compared to peers in the non-intervention group. In order to complete this work, the research team is collaborating with the New York Rape Prevention and Education (RPE)-funded Regional Centers for Sexual Violence Prevention and a Research Advisory Board of community members and professionals from New York State.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Anticipated): 720
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • New York
    • Rochester, New York, United States, 14605
      • Recruiting
      • Planned Parenthood of Central and Western New York
      • Contact: Greta A Niu, PhD; Phone Number: 362 585-546-2771; Email: greta.niu@ppcwny.org

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 12 years to 14 years (Child)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: Male

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Participants must be males of middle school age (12-14 years), participating in afterschool/youth programming at one of the intervention or control sites.

Exclusion Criteria:

• None.

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: Brothers as Allie; Brothers as Allies is a strengths-based group approach to promote boys' and young men's safe and healthy passage through the pre-teen and adolescent years by addressing rigid beliefs and norms about masculinity that are harmful to the health, safety, relationships and opportunities of boys and young men. Groups of six to ten boys of similar age and development meet weekly with one or two facilitators for 1.5 to 2 hours for ten or more weeks. Meetings include warm up activities, an opportunity for check-in, experiential activities that address gender relevant topics (e.g., group challenges, games, skits, role plays), and a reflection and group dialogue component.	Behavioral: Brothers as Allies; Strengths-based group approach to promote boys' and young men's safe and healthy passage through the pre-teen and adolescent years.
Active Comparator: Programming-as-Usual; Usual programming implemented in afterschool programs.	Behavioral: Programming-as-Usual; Usual afterschool programming.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Sexual violence perpetration (Koss et al., 2006)	This will be measured by items from a widely used measure of sexual violence perpetration behaviors	3 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: New York State Department of Health
• Collaborators: Cornell University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Janis Whitlock, PhD, Cornell University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): July 26, 2017
• Primary Completion (Anticipated): July 24, 2020
• Study Completion (Anticipated): September 29, 2020

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: August 3, 2017
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 2, 2018
• First Posted (Actual): January 8, 2018

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 15, 2019
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 14, 2019
• Last Verified: March 1, 2019

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: CE002834

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No