Preventing Violence Against Children in Schools Study (PVACS)

London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

Status: Unknown

Conditions: Violence, Physical; Child Abuse; Violence Against Children; Violence

Treatments: Behavioral: Empateach

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03745573

11106

Details and patient eligibility

About

To date, no interventions to prevent violence in refugee camp schools have ever been rigorously evaluated. The primary objective of this project is to test the effectiveness of the Empateach intervention to prevent physical violence from teachers to students in Nyarugusu Refugee Camp, Tanzania. Secondary objectives are to assess the impact of the Empateach intervention on student's depressive symptoms, experience of emotional violence and educational test scores. A two arm cluster RCT with parallel assignment will be conducted.

Full description

School is one of the most common settings where children may experience violence; and emerging evidence suggests that in some settings, school staff may be one of the most common perpetrator of violence against children.To date, no interventions to prevent violence in refugee camp schools have ever been rigorously evaluated. The primary objective of this project is to test the effectiveness of the Empateach intervention to prevent physical violence from teachers to students in Nyarugusu Refugee Camp, Tanzania. Secondary objectives are to assess the impact of the Empateach intervention on student's depressive symptoms, experience of emotional violence and educational test scores.

The aim of the Empateach intervention is to improve 'student and teacher well-being; self-regulation; teacher classroom management and teacher's use of positive discipline techniques'. Participants in the intervention condition will receive a 10-week group intervention.

A two arm cluster RCT will be conducted, with parallel assignment and an approximately 1:1 allocation ratio. Cross-sectional surveys of students will be conducted at three time points: a baseline, a midline immediately after the 10 week intervention; and an endline 6 months after then end of the intervention. The primary outcome, violence from school staff to students, will be measured using an adapted version of the ICAST-CI.

Enrollment: 2,120 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 9+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• At the school level, all 27 primary and secondary schools in Nyarugusu refugee camp in Tanzania, will be eligible. The intervention is delivered to individual teachers, and all teachers working in included schools will be eligible to receive the intervention. The hypothesized intervention effect will be in all students being taught by participating teachers; however we will measure effects of the intervention in students who are aged 9 years and over. Data will be collected from both students and teachers.
• At the level of individual students, all students who can speak Kirundi or Swahili, and who are capable of providing assent, will be eligible to participate
• At the level of individual teachers, all teachers who can speak Kirundi or Swahili, and who are capable of providing informed consent, will be eligible to participate

Exclusion criteria

• there are no exclusion criteria at the School level
• for individual students, those who cannot speak Kirundi or Swahili, or who are not capable of providing assent
• for individual teachers, those who cannot speak Kirundi or Swahili, or who are not capable of providing informed consent

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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2,120 participants in 2 patient groups

Empateach Intervention

Experimental group

Description:

All teachers in intervention schools will be invited to participate. Participants in the intervention condition will receive Empateach, a 10-week group intervention. Groups meet 14 times for 1-1.5 hour length sessions, which are led by peers. The aim of the Empateach intervention is to improve 'student and teacher well-being; self-regulation; teacher classroom management and teacher's use of positive discipline techniques. The intervention uses cognitive behavioural therapy techniques to change negative thought and behaviour patterns related to corporal punishment. The teachers receive information on alternatives to corporal punishment, planning exercises and reinforcement SMS, and because the intervention is in a group setting, social support to change their behaviours. They discuss their experiences and challenges in group sessions.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Empateach

Wait-list control

No Intervention group

Description:

Teachers in wait-list control schools will receive no specific interventions related to violence prevention during the study, but will receive the intervention after the study is over if it is shown to be effective (pending donor funding).