Prevention of Violence Against Children

Violence Against Children Clinical Trial

Official title:

Prevalence, Consequences and Prevention of Violence Against Children in Southwestern Uganda

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT03051854
• Other study ID #: ICC-T-2017-Uganda
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: April 1, 2018
• Est. completion date: September 30, 2019

Study information

• Verified date: September 2019
• Source: University of Konstanz
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

Beside the home, the school is often the second important setting for the development and education of children and adolescents. Students spend a large part of their life at school. However, there is recurrent occurrence of violence against children and of harsh discipline measures used in home and school settings. These may result into negative consequences. Hence, prevention strategies against the use of harsh discipline use in schools become a priority.

In the baseline of this study the investigators will therefore examine the prevalence and consequences of violence against children in Southwestern Uganda. The study will be conducted in schools and common disciplinary measures used by teachers, and the perceptions of teachers' and students' in relation to commonly used and experienced disciplinary measures we will be investigated.

In the second phase, the investigators then will implement and assess the effectiveness of an intervention aimed at reducing the use of harsh and violent disciplinary measures in schools. ICC-T training in the long-term aims at fostering better relations amongst students and teachers. Based on feasibility studies, ICC-T intervention is expected to result into better teacher-student relationships, change in teachers' attitudes and behaviors concerning the use of violent disciplinary measures in the school setting.

Description:

Study participants (i.e., teachers and students) will be recruited from six districts in southwestern Uganda. The sample will include 12 government-aided secondary schools from which 60 students and 15-25 teachers will be recruited. The final sample will have 720 students and 180-300 teachers. Investigators will assess data in the baseline (i.e., prior to intervention) and three months after the intervention.

Study measures will cover the following topics: socio-demographic data, common disciplinary measure used at home and at school, students' mental health problems, students' and teachers' attitudes towards violent discipline measures, and students' exposure to peer and sexual violence. Questionnaire for teachers will have additional items that measure attitudes towards teaching and teacher stress. Additionally, the investigators will also assess the demand, acceptance and feasibility of the training.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 720
• Est. completion date: September 30, 2019
• Est. primary completion date: September 30, 2019
• Accepts healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
• Gender: All
• Age group: 12 Years to 65 Years

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Written informed consent (if underaged by parents & minors)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Acute drug or alcohol intoxication

• Acute psychotic disorder

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Violence Against Children

Intervention

Behavioral:
• Interaction Competencies with children - for teachers
Core training components include teacher-student interaction, maltreatment prevention, effective discipline strategies, identifying and supporting burdened students and implementation of the training materials into the school setting.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
Uganda	Government-aided secondary schools	Mbarara	Southwestern Uganda

Sponsors (3)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
University of Konstanz	Alexander von Humboldt Association, Bielefeld University

Country where clinical trial is conducted

Uganda, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Change in teachers' application of harsh discipline	In teachers the Conflict Tactics Scale Parent-Child version (CTSPC) will assess teachers' use of violent discipline measure against students in the school locale.	The CTSPC will be used at T 1 (baseline, prior to intervention) and T2 (follow-up, 3 months after intervention)
Primary	Change in student's exposure to harsh discipline by teachers	The Conflict Tactics Scale Parent-Child version (CTSPC) will assess the students' self-reported experiences of violent discipline in schools.	CTSPC will be used at T 1 (baseline, prior to intervention) and T2 (follow-up, 3 months after intervention)
Secondary	Change in student's mental health	Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) will assess students' internalizing and externalizing problems. SDQ will be used at T1 and T2.	SDQ will be used at (baseline, prior to intervention) and T2 (follow-up, 3 months after intervention)
Secondary	Change in teachers's attitudes towards harsh discipline	Items of the CTSPC have been adapted to measure teachers' and students' attitudes towards violent discipline methods at school.	The adapted version of CTSPC will be used at T 1 (baseline, prior to intervention) and T2 (follow-up, 3 months after intervention)