Healthy Relationships Training Study: A Comparison of Interventions to Reduce Dating Violence on College Campuses (HRTS)

Kent State University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Dating Violence

Treatments: Behavioral: Mindfulness-Based Skills Training (MBST); Behavioral: Psychoeducational

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03950128

17-547

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this study is to compare the efficacy of a mindfulness-based skills training (MBST) to a psychoeducational intervention at reducing dating violence in a sample of college students. The MBST focuses on improving college students' abilities to manage emotionally charged states during conflict with their romantic partners by teaching them mindfulness-based skills. The psychoeducational intervention uses the Love is Not Abuse curriculum. Treatment groups are randomly assigned and are compared using a two-armed parallel design.

88 college students currently in a dating relationship were recruited through Kent State University's subject pool. All participants completed a baseline assessment online where self-reported data was collected on demographics, dating violence (during the past month), emotion regulation, mindfulness skills, and other potential covariates. Participants were then randomized into either the MBST intervention or the psychoeducational intervention. All participants completed three 50-minute sessions over the course of three weeks with assigned homework between sessions. Daily diary data was collected, assessing knowledge and use of skills learned in the sessions. Follow-up data was collected online 11 weeks following baseline (dating violence (during the last month), emotion regulation, mindfulness skills).

It was hypothesized that the MBST intervention would be more effective at reducing dating violence as compared to the psychoeducational intervention.

Enrollment: 88 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• In a current dating relationship (of 6 months or longer)

Exclusion criteria

• Diagnosed with psychopathology (Major Depressive Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder)

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Double Blind

---

88 participants in 2 patient groups

Mindfulness-Based Skills Training

Experimental group

Description:

This intervention teaches students mindfulness-based skills to help manage their emotions when resolving conflict with their partners. The intervention is given over the course of three 50-minute sessions with homework between sessions.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Mindfulness-Based Skills Training (MBST)

Psychoeducational

Active Comparator group

Description:

This intervention is based on the Love is Not Abuse (LINA) Curriculum (Liz Claiborne Education Development Center (n.d.)). It was adapted to be given over the course of three 50-minute sessions.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Psychoeducational