Expect Respect Middle School Randomized Trial

NCT ID: NCT04095429

Last Updated: 2022-09-09

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 635 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2019-10-03
• Study Completion Date: 2022-08-31

Brief Summary

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.

Detailed 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.

Conditions

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

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: PREVENTION
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Expect Respect Support Group

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.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Expect Respect

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Expect Respect is a 24 session curriculum designed to support middle school students to increase skills in emotion regulation, relationship skills, communication, and positive bystander intervention behaviors.

Enhanced Usual Care

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).

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Enhanced Usual Care

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Participants will be connected via a warm referral to available individual behavioral health supports and resources in their community that can support them.

Interventions

Expect Respect

Expect Respect is a 24 session curriculum designed to support middle school students to increase skills in emotion regulation, relationship skills, communication, and positive bystander intervention behaviors.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Enhanced Usual Care

Participants will be connected via a warm referral to available individual behavioral health supports and resources in their community that can support them.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

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

• Minimum Eligible Age: 11 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 15 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

FED

Sponsor Role: collaborator

University of Pittsburgh

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Elizabeth Miller

Professor

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Elizabeth Miller, MD, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of Pittsburgh

Locations

University of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States

Countries

United States

Other Identifiers

R01CE002981

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: secondary_id

View Link

STUDY18080006

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id