Clinical trial NCT03051854: Prevention of Violence Against Children
Official title: Prevalence, Consequences and Prevention of Violence Against Children in Southwestern Uganda
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Violence Against Children
Keywords: Violence
Children
Prevalence
Abuse
Prevention
Lead sponsor: University of Konstanz
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: Bielefeld University
name: Alexander von Humboldt Association
First posted: 2017-02-14
Enrollment: 720
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 12
Maximum age (years): 65
Standard ages: CHILD
ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: FACTORIAL
Primary purpose: PREVENTION

Brief summary: 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: 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.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Written informed consent (if underaged by parents \& minors)

Exclusion Criteria:

* Acute drug or alcohol intoxication
* Acute psychotic disorder

Primary outcomes:
measure: Change in teachers' application of harsh discipline
timeFrame: The CTSPC will be used at T 1 (baseline, prior to intervention) and T2 (follow-up, 3 months after intervention)
measure: Change in student's exposure to harsh discipline by teachers
timeFrame: CTSPC will be used at T 1 (baseline, prior to intervention) and T2 (follow-up, 3 months after intervention)
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Change in student's mental health
timeFrame: SDQ will be used at (baseline, prior to intervention) and T2 (follow-up, 3 months after intervention)
measure: Change in teachers's attitudes towards harsh discipline
timeFrame: The adapted version of CTSPC will be used at T 1 (baseline, prior to intervention) and T2 (follow-up, 3 months after intervention)
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Mbarara
country: Uganda
facility: Government-aided secondary schools
state: Southwestern Uganda
Study officials:
affiliation: Bielefeld University
name: Tobias Hecker, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Ssenyonga J, Hermenau K, Nkuba M, Hecker T. Reducing violence against children by implementing the preventative intervention Interaction Competencies with Children for Teachers (ICC-T): study protocol for a cluster randomized controlled trial in Southwestern Uganda. Trials. 2018 Aug 13;19(1):435. doi: 10.1186/s13063-018-2827-9.