The Development of a Domestic Violence Perpetrator Collusion Measurement Tool

Yale University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Intimate Partner Violence (IPV)

Treatments: Other: Condition 1: Perpetrator Positive; Other: Condition 3: Placebo; Other: Condition 2: Perpetrator Negative

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01942616

0910005885

Details and patient eligibility

About

We propose an experimental design to empirically establish the potential link between the media portrayal of DV and changes in an individual's DV descriptive and injunctive social norms. Specifically, this study will measure the degree to which people implicitly collude with DV perpetration.

Full description

Aim 1: To determine the impact of media "frames," "labeling," and "information inclusion" on "implicit collusion" with a DV perpetrator.

Hypotheses: Consumers exposed to media reports using "thematic frames" will be less likely to implicitly collude with perpetrators than those exposed to "episodic frames." Consumers exposed to DVH news stories labeled as "domestic violence" will be less likely to implicitly collude with perpetrators than consumers exposed to news stories labeled as "assault." Implicit collusion will correlate positively with the addition of non-relevant perpetrator "humanizing" characteristics. Consumers given negative information about the victim of DVH will be more likely to implicitly collude with the perpetrator than consumers given negative information about the perpetrator.

Aim 2: To determine how media portrayals of domestic violence impact descriptive and injunctive norms about domestic violence and, ultimately, drive implicit collusion with perpetrators.

Hypotheses: Controlling for individual pre-existing attitudes and social norms, consumers exposed to thematic frames or the label of DV will be less likely to shift their norms in a way that supports DV than those exposed to episodic frames or the label of assault. Consumers provided negative victim information or non-relevant characteristics that humanize the perpetrator will be more likely to shift their norms to accept DV.

Exploratory Aim: To identify racial/ethnic, gender, age, and regional differences in DV social norms.

Hypothesis: The media will differentially impact subpopulation DV attitudes, social norms and implicit collusion.

Enrollment: 72 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Members of the public who are 18 years or older, who identify as White or African American or Hispanic.

Exclusion criteria

• Members of the public will be excluded if they are unable to read or understand English.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Screening

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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72 participants in 3 patient groups, including a placebo group

Condition 1

Experimental group

Description:

Each study arm contains different scenarios presented to the participant. Condition 1 is a Perpetrator Positive scenario. The content of the Condition 1 group is as follows: Framing: Episodic Labeling: DV label Extraneous Information: Perpetrator positive non relevant Victim/Perp Characteristic: Negative victim

Treatment:

Other: Condition 1: Perpetrator Positive

Condition 2

Experimental group

Description:

Each study arm contains different scenarios presented to the participant. Condition 2 is a Perpetrator Negative scenario. The content of the Condition 2 group is as follows: Framing: Thematic Labeling: Assault label Extraneous Information: Perpetrator neutral non relevant Victim/Perp Characteristic: Negative Perpetrator

Treatment:

Other: Condition 2: Perpetrator Negative

Condition 3

Placebo Comparator group

Description:

Each study arm contains different scenarios presented to the participant. The content of the Condition 3 group is as follows: Framing: Neither Labeling: No label Extraneous Information: None Victim/Perp Characteristic: None

Treatment:

Other: Condition 3: Placebo