Trial of a Middle School Coach Gender Violence Prevention Program

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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This cluster-randomized school-based study will examine the effectiveness of a program for the primary prevention of perpetration of teen dating violence and sexual violence among middle school male athletes. Engaging men and boys in preventing violence against women and girls is recognized by major global health organizations as a critical public health strategy. Coaching Boys into Men is a theory- and evidence based program intended to alter gender norms that foster teen dating violence/sexual violence perpetration, promote bystander intervention, and reduce teen dating violence/sexual violence perpetration. Coaches receive a 60-minute training and biweekly check-in from a violence prevention advocate to administer the intervention to their athletes via 12 mini-lessons conducted weekly throughout a sport season. In a randomized trial of program effectiveness among high school athletes (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CE001561-01, PI Miller), male athletes receiving the program demonstrated increased positive bystander intervention behaviors and less verbal abuse perpetration compared to controls. This project seeks to test the effectiveness of this program with younger male athletes in grades 6-8.The innovations are three-fold: (1) testing the efficacy of a novel teen dating violence/sexual violence prevention program for middle school male athletes; (2) training athletic coaches in Teen Dating Violence/Sexual Violence prevention thus implementing primary prevention that does not rely on teachers or classroom time; and (3) integrating the goal of changing gender norms with the technique of a bystander intervention approach to reduce teen dating violence/sexual violence prevention. The experimental design involves a 2-armed cluster randomized- controlled trial in 41 middle schools (38 clusters) in Pennsylvania. Schools will be randomly assigned to either intervention or control (standard coaching) condition. Coaches in intervention schools will receive Coaching Boys into Men training. Baseline surveys will be collected for all intervention and control site athletes entering grades 6-8 at the start of each sports seasons across Year 1 (Time 1; N= 973 athletes). Follow up surveys will be collected at the end of each sports season (Time 2). All participating athletes will be re-surveyed 12 months after baseline (Time 3).

Official Title
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Cluster-Randomized Trial of a Middle School Coach Gender Violence Prevention Program

Conditions
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Abuse, Violence

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Coaching Boys into Men program


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: School eligibility: Urban and suburban middle schools in the Pittsburgh, PA region with athletics program Athlete eligibility: Ages 11-14 (grades 6-8), student at a participating middle school, participating in an athletic program led by coach participating in the research study Exclusion Criteria: School Eligibility: Middle schools not in the Pittsburgh area Athlete eligibility: Outside age range, not participating on a sports team at the middle school in which they are enrolled

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 11 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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No

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
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| No Intervention: Control School<br>Control schools (where the coaches do not receive the Coaching Boys into Men training until following academic year ;wait list control) | |
| Experimental: Intervention School<br>Intervention schools (where coaches receive the Coaching Boys into Men training at start of each sports season). Coaching Boys into Men program consists of 60 minute training for high school coaches led by a violence prevention advocate to introduce coaches to the rational for Coaching Boys into Men and the Coaching Boys into Men Coaches Kit. The coaches use this Coaching Boys into Men toolkit to provide weekly discussions with their athletes (generally 10-15 minute mini-sessions) throughout their athletic season (11 weeks). Discussion topics include how to prevent disrespectful and harmful behaviors towards women and girls and how to promote healthy choices and relationships among youth. | Behavioral: Coaching Boys into Men program<br>* Coaching Boys into Men program consists of 60 minute training for high school coaches led by a violence prevention advocate to introduce coaches to the rational for Coaching Boys into Men and the Coaching Boys into Men Coaches Kit. The coaches use this Coaching Boys into Men toolkit to provide weekly discussions with their athletes (generally 10-15 minute mini-sessions) throughout their athletic season (11 weeks). Discussion topics include how to prevent disrespectful and harmful behaviors towards women and girls and how to promote healthy choices and relationships among youth.<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Change in Positive Bystander Behavior from Baseline to Follow Up | Assessment of past 3 month positive bystander behavior in athletes when witnessing disrespectful and harmful behavior among peers comparing baseline and follow up summary scores. Athletes report if they have witnessed peers' abusive behaviors in the past 3 months and if witnessed, how they responded (whether they intervened to interrupt the behavior) | 3 months and 12 months | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Change in Recognition of Abusive Behavior from Baseline to Follow Up | Recognition of disrespectful and harmful behaviors against girls as abusive comparing baseline and follow up mean scores on the recognition of abusive behavior scale. | 3 months and 12 months | 
| Change in Gender Equitable Attitudes Scale from Baseline to Follow Up | Assessment of gender-equitable attitudes comparing baseline and follow up mean scores on the gender attitudes scale | 3 months and 12 months | 
| Change in Intentions to Intervene from Baseline to Follow Up | Proclivity to intervene when witnessing disrespectful and harmful behaviors among peers comparing baseline and follow up mean scores on a scale assessing likelihood of trying to stop disrespectful behaviors among peers. | 3 months and 12 months | 
| Change in self-reported recent (past 3 month) perpetration of Teen Dating Violence/Sexual Violence at 12 months | Assessment of Teen Dating Violence/Sexual Violence perpetration comparing baseline summary score with follow up 12 month summary score (whether participants have perpetrated acts of Teen Dating Violence or Sexual Violence towards anyone) | 12 Months |