A Feasibility Trial of Sisterhood 2.0

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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This pilot quasi-experimental community based trial examines the feasibility of a sexual violence and adolescent relationship abuse prevention program for girls aged 14-19. Feasibility is assessed through participant attendance, retention and program satisfaction measures and interviews are conducted at baseline, end of program and 3 month follow up (endline) about participant experiences.

Detailed Description
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The goal of the project is to adapt and pilot a gender transformative, sexual violence and adolescent relationship abuse prevention program, Sisterhood 2.0, among African American high school-age females in a community-based setting. The Sisterhood 2.0 curriculum was adapted from Program M, created in 2006 by Promundo to address health and empowerment of young women aged 15-24. The curriculum engages young women in questioning rigid and non-equitable stereotypes about masculinity and femininity and how these rigid stereotypes affect their health and well-being. This study will pilot test, using a quasi-experimental design, the participant satisfaction with the program through measures of attendance and retention, and be compared to a job skills development curriculum. This study is significant because there are too few evidence-based sexual violence and adolescent relationship abuse prevention program in the U.S., none that are specifically tailored for African American adolescent females, and there are no evidence- based programs implemented in community settings that target both sexual violence and adolescent relationship abuse and adolescent sexual health.

Official Title
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A Gender Transformative Program to Prevent Sexual Violence and Relationship Abuse Among Adolescent Women: A Feasibility Trial of Sisterhood 2.0

Conditions
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Adolescent Behavior, Violence in Adolescence, Group, Peer, Violence, Non-accidental, Violence, Sexual, Violence, Physical, Violence, Domestic, Emotional Abuse, Coping Skills, Communication, Personal

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Sisterhood 2.0


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Participants must be ages 13-19 (inclusive) Participants must speak English Participants must self identify as female Exclusion Criteria: Not ages 13-19 (inclusive) Does not speak English Does not identify as female

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 13 Years
Maximum Age: 19 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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Female

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Prevention
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Interventional Model Description: The 18-24 hour content (divided into 8, 3 hour sessions) are spread over a 3 week to 2 month period. Sessions explored gender, consider harmful messages around femininity and socially acceptable images of women, healthy sexuality, healthy relationships and connections, understanding and identifying sexual abuse and assault, and self care. Control Program: The control intervention used widely-used curricula focused on job skills development and life skills. Trained prevention educators provided the programs for both intervention and control arms and were trained to implement either the Sisterhood 2.0 program or the job skills curriculum.
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Sisterhood 2.0<br>Sisterhood 2.0 used a group format with activities that explore respect, nonviolence, healthy relationships, and sexuality, through 8 sessions (3 hours/session) over an 8 week period. Sessions focus on gender, consider harmful messages around femininity and their image, healthy sexuality, healthy relationships and connections, understanding sexual abuse and assault, and self care. | Behavioral: Sisterhood 2.0<br>* The Sisterhood 2.0 curriculum was adapted from Program M, created in 2006 by Promundo to address health and empowerment of young women aged 15-24. The curriculum engages young women in questioning rigid and non-equitable stereotypes about masculinity and femininity and how they affect both women's and men's health and well-being.<br>|
| Active Comparator: Job Skills Training<br>The curriculum used for this program is an intensive 18-24 hour job readiness training curriculum distributed across 3 weeks, or up to 2 months. | Behavioral: Sisterhood 2.0<br>* The Sisterhood 2.0 curriculum was adapted from Program M, created in 2006 by Promundo to address health and empowerment of young women aged 15-24. The curriculum engages young women in questioning rigid and non-equitable stereotypes about masculinity and femininity and how they affect both women's and men's health and well-being.<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Participant Attendance | Attendance recorded at beginning and end of each session with a weekly satisfaction survey. Calculated as a proportion of total number of sessions. | through study completion, an average of 1 per week | 
| Participant Retention | At the end of the program, participants were asked why they returned or did not return to the program each week and their reasons for missing any sessions. | post-intervention at Week 8 | 
| Participant Satisfaction | Participants were asked about how satisfied they were with the topic discussed and format of the program each week. | through study completion, an average of 1 per week |