Prevention of Violence Against Children

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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Beside the home, the school is often the second important setting for the development and education of children and adolescents. Students spend a large part of their life at school. However, there is recurrent occurrence of violence against children and of harsh discipline measures used in home and school settings. These may result into negative consequences. Hence, prevention strategies against the use of harsh discipline use in schools become a priority. In the baseline of this study the investigators will therefore examine the prevalence and consequences of violence against children in Southwestern Uganda. The study will be conducted in schools and common disciplinary measures used by teachers, and the perceptions of teachers' and students' in relation to commonly used and experienced disciplinary measures we will be investigated. In the second phase, the investigators then will implement and assess the effectiveness of an intervention aimed at reducing the use of harsh and violent disciplinary measures in schools. ICC-T training in the long-term aims at fostering better relations amongst students and teachers. Based on feasibility studies, ICC-T intervention is expected to result into better teacher-student relationships, change in teachers' attitudes and behaviors concerning the use of violent disciplinary measures in the school setting.

Detailed Description
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Study participants (i.e., teachers and students) will be recruited from six districts in southwestern Uganda. The sample will include 12 government-aided secondary schools from which 60 students and 15-25 teachers will be recruited. The final sample will have 720 students and 180-300 teachers. Investigators will assess data in the baseline (i.e., prior to intervention) and three months after the intervention. Study measures will cover the following topics: socio-demographic data, common disciplinary measure used at home and at school, students' mental health problems, students' and teachers' attitudes towards violent discipline measures, and students' exposure to peer and sexual violence. Questionnaire for teachers will have additional items that measure attitudes towards teaching and teacher stress. Additionally, the investigators will also assess the demand, acceptance and feasibility of the training.

Official Title
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Prevalence, Consequences and Prevention of Violence Against Children in Southwestern Uganda

Conditions
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Violence Against Children

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Interaction Competencies with children - for teachers


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Written informed consent (if underaged by parents & minors) Exclusion Criteria: Acute drug or alcohol intoxication Acute psychotic disorder

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 12 Years
Maximum Age: 65 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

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: Factorial Assignment
Masking: Single


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: ICC-T<br>Intervention: Interaction Competencies with children - for teachers (ICC-T) 5.5 days with 8 hours of training for teachers. Core training components include teacher-student interaction, maltreatment prevention, effective discipline strategies, identifying and supporting burdened students and implementation of the training materials into the school setting | Behavioral: Interaction Competencies with children - for teachers<br>* Core training components include teacher-student interaction, maltreatment prevention, effective discipline strategies, identifying and supporting burdened students and implementation of the training materials into the school setting.<br>|
| No Intervention: Control schools<br>The control school do not receive any intervention. | |

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Change in teachers' application of harsh discipline | In teachers the Conflict Tactics Scale Parent-Child version (CTSPC) will assess teachers' use of violent discipline measure against students in the school locale. | The CTSPC will be used at T 1 (baseline, prior to intervention) and T2 (follow-up, 3 months after intervention) | 
| Change in student's exposure to harsh discipline by teachers | The Conflict Tactics Scale Parent-Child version (CTSPC) will assess the students' self-reported experiences of violent discipline in schools. | CTSPC will be used at T 1 (baseline, prior to intervention) and T2 (follow-up, 3 months after intervention) | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Change in student's mental health | Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) will assess students' internalizing and externalizing problems. SDQ will be used at T1 and T2. | SDQ will be used at (baseline, prior to intervention) and T2 (follow-up, 3 months after intervention) | 
| Change in teachers's attitudes towards harsh discipline | Items of the CTSPC have been adapted to measure teachers' and students' attitudes towards violent discipline methods at school. | The adapted version of CTSPC will be used at T 1 (baseline, prior to intervention) and T2 (follow-up, 3 months after intervention) | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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Violence, Children, Prevalence, Abuse, Prevention