Expect Respect Middle School Randomized Trial

University of Pittsburgh

Status: Completed

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

Treatments: Behavioral: Enhanced Usual Care; Behavioral: Expect Respect

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; Other U.S. Federal agency

Identifiers

NCT04095429

STUDY18080006

R01CE002981 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Details and patient eligibility

About

This cluster-randomized school-based study will examine the effectiveness of a teen dating violence (TDV) and sexual violence (SV) prevention program called Expect Respect for preventing serious violence perpetration among middle school students.

Full description

This cluster-randomized controlled school-based study will examine the effectiveness of a support group-based teen dating violence (TDV) and sexual violence (SV) prevention program on the primary prevention of serious (and potentially lethal) violence perpetration among middle school students (both male and female-identified) who have prior exposure to trauma and violence. Expect Respect gender-specific support groups are for youth with prior history of exposure to violence including witnessing domestic violence, loss of loved one to homicide, TDV, and SV.

Expect Respect is a theory and research-informed program intended to alter norms condoning violence and rigid gender expectations that foster violence perpetration, promote bystander intervention, and reduce TDV/SV perpetration. Implemented by trained facilitators, the 24-session curriculum focuses on gender equity and respect, recognizing abuse and impact on self and others, regulating emotions, skills for healthy relationships, and becoming active proponents of safe and healthy relationships.

Enrollment: 635 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 11 to 15 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Participants must be in grades 7-8
• Participants must be referred by school personnel
• Participants must speak English

Exclusion criteria

• Not in 7th- 8th grade
• Not referred to the group by school personnel
• Does not speak English

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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635 participants in 2 patient groups

Expect Respect Support Group

Experimental group

Description:

Experimental: Expect Respect Support Group Expect Respect is a program intended to create safe, trauma-informed space for young people who have been exposed to violence, to promote positive bystander intervention and healthy relationship skills, to alter norms that foster TDV/SV perpetration, and reduce violence perpetration through weekly support groups with students at elevated risk for such perpetration. Youth with prior history of exposure to violence are invited to in-school gender specific support groups that take place over 24 in-classroom sessions. Expect Respect addresses violence perpetration prevention with youth already exposed to violence by recognizing violence as a problem that is fueled by gender norms that promote dominance and challenging the need to control and exert power in relationships especially with the use of violence, while simultaneously strengthening emotion regulation, social skills, and connectedness.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Expect Respect

Enhanced Usual Care

Active Comparator group

Description:

Comparator: Enhanced Usual Care The control arm will receive enhanced usual care. Enhanced care means that the investigators will ensure each school has information, resource lists, and connection to services for individual youth who are referred to the study, including warm referrals to victim service agencies, behavioral health services, as well as resources (e.g., assistance with food insecurity, and so forth).

Treatment:

Behavioral: Enhanced Usual Care