Clinical trial NCT02122887: Peace-Building Interventions for Israeli and Palestinian Youth
Official title: Peace-Building Interventions for Israeli and Palestinian Youth: Effects on Biological and Behavioral Markers of Empathy, Prejudice, and Dialogue
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Healthy
Keywords: jewish, arab, israel, teenagers
Lead sponsor: Bar-Ilan University, Israel
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2014-04-25
Enrollment: 101
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 15
Maximum age (years): 18
Standard ages: CHILD
ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: OTHER

Brief summary: The investigators expect an intervention that focuses on actual dialogue and familiarity with members of the other culture, discussion of empathy, generosity, and kindness, and focus on adaptive and reciprocal modes of conflict resolution will alter both physiological, behavioral, and mental response to the pain of the other, increase empathy, and reduce hostility.

Detailed description: We hypothesized that the intervention will impact perspective taking (PT) on the national conflict, reducing the tendency to view justice only on one's side. Such increase in PT would initiate a chain leading to greater behavioral empathy.

Second, we hypothesize that change in oxytocin (OT) levels and empathic behavior (less withdrawal and tension and more synchrony) would be impacted by the intervention and the degree to which it altered youth PT on the conflict.

Finally, we suggest a 3-path model charting the multi-dimensional pathways leading to behavioral empathy toward outgroup member. First, individual differences in OT functionality will shape empathy so that youth with higher OT levels at pre-intervention and greater PT will show more empathic dialogue at post-intervention. Second, dispositional cognitive empathy, as tested by the Interpersonal Reactivity Index questioner (IRI), at pre-intervention will predict higher behavioral empathy at T2, both directly and as mediated by reduction in ethnocentric attitudes following the intervention. Finally, we hypothesize that the intervention will influence empathy by initiating a chain that begins with increasing PT, which, in turn, will lead to reduction in tension during interaction with outgroup, and culminating in greater empathy during face-to-face encounters

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* jewish israeli
* arab israeli
* lives in the center of israel
* both parents agree to participation

Exclusion Criteria:

* no mental disorder
* no neurological-developmental disorder

Primary outcomes:
measure: Behavioral Assessment of Dialogue
timeFrame: trail 1-baseline
measure: Hormonal Assays- Oxytocin
timeFrame: trail 1- baseline
measure: PT (Perspective-taking)
timeFrame: trail 1-baseline
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Behavioral Assessment of Dialogue
timeFrame: trail 2- 3 months after trail 1
measure: Hormonal Assays-Oxytocin
timeFrame: trail 2- 3 months after trail1
measure: Changes in PT (Perspective-taking) After Intervention
timeFrame: trail 2- 3 months after trail 1
measure: Changes in Tension as a Function of Perspective-taking and Group
timeFrame: trail 2- 3 months after trail1
measure: Changes in Empathy as a Function of Perspective Taking
timeFrame: trail 2- 3 months after trail 1
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Ramat Gan
country: Israel
facility: Bar Ilan University
Study officials:
affiliation: Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
name: Moran Influs, MA
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Influs M, Masalha S, Zagoory-Shaon O, Feldman R. Dialogue intervention to youth amidst intractable conflict attenuates stress response to outgroup. Horm Behav. 2019 Apr;110:68-76. doi: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2019.02.013. Epub 2019 Mar 9.