Preventing Violence Against Children in Schools Study

Violence Clinical Trial

— PVACS  

Official title:

Preventing Violence Against Children in Schools: Protocol for a Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial of the EmpaTeach Behavioural Intervention in Nyarugusu Refugee Camp

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Not yet recruiting

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT03745573
• Other study ID #: 11106
• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: November 16, 2018
• Est. completion date: July 31, 2020

Study information

• Verified date: November 2018
• Source: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
• Contact: Patricia Henley, PhD
• Phone: 02079272221
• Email: patricia.henley[@]lshtm.ac.uk
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

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.

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.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Enrollment: 2120
• Est. completion date: July 31, 2020
• Est. primary completion date: December 31, 2019
• Accepts healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
• Gender: All
• Age group: 9 Years and older

Eligibility

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

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Child Abuse
• Violence
• Violence Against Children
• Violence, Physical

Intervention

Behavioral:
• Empateach
Empateach is a behavioural intervention for teachers.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
n/a

Sponsors (5)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine	Behavioural Insights Team, Innovations for Poverty Action, Tanzania, International Rescue Committee, National Institutes of Medical Research, Tanzania

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	physical violence	students' self-reports of physical violence from school staff in the past week, as measured by a modified ICAST-CI	Assessed at 10-week follow-up
Secondary	physical violence	students' self-reports of physical violence from school staff in the past week, as measured by a modified ICAST-CI	Assessed at 6-month follow-up
Secondary	emotional violence	students' self-reports of emotional violence from school staff, as measured by a modified ICAST-CI	past 1 week; assessed at 10-week and 6-month follow-up
Secondary	depressive symptoms	students' self-reports of emotional violence from school staff, as measured by a modified ICAST-CI	past 2 weeks; assessed at 10-week and 6-month follow-up
Secondary	educational performance	test scores on yearly exams	assessed at the end of the school year, about 11-12 months from baseline