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Completed

NCT Number: NCT02349321

Skhokho Supporting Success: A Cluster RCT of a Multi-faceted, School-based IPV Prevention Intervention in South Africa

Development and evaluation of a multi-faceted school-based intervention to prevent intimate partner violence among Grade 8 high school students in South Africa

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Key information

Conditions

Partner of Victim of Physical Abuse

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

About this study

Primary prevention of intimate partner violence among young men and women requires an intervention which addresses the underlying driving factors of such violence operating at different ecological levels.That is, interventions need to address factors impacting directly on youth and their family relationships, school as an institutional setting. In the school, holistic interventions strengthen the curriculum and teaching, but also the broader environment of learning, including addressing positive discipline and the culture of the school. In order to prevent violence, interventions need to build gender equality, challenge the normative use of violence in schools and homes (e.g., corporal punishment), strengthen teen-adult relationships and communication, and build negotiation and conflict resolution skills, as well as addressing stress and coping.

A three-arm, cluster randomised controlled trial based in high schools in Gauteng, South Africa is evaluating such a multi-faceted primary prevention intervention. This intervention includes school strengthening components for learners and educators, which includes providing a teaching materials for the grade 8 life orientation (LO) curriculum (which covers gender and violence), training teachers in LO teaching, training staff on positive discipline and establishing learner clubs. A second intervention seeks to strengthen families and is a workshop based intervention delivered over 4 day long sessions for a parent or caregiver and their grade 8 adolescent.

The intervention is being evaluated in a three arm randomised controlled trial, with school-level randomisation involving 24 schools. One is a delayed intervention control arm, two arms have the school strengthening intervention and one arm additionally have the family strengthening intervention.

The outcomes will be addressed using qualitative and quantitative methods with data collected from Grade 8 learners (the primary outcome group), school educators and administrators, and parents/caregivers of Grade 8s. These measures will be conducted pre-intervention and at 6, 12, and 18 month follow up periods. In addition, an economic costing evaluation will be conducted.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • LEARNER/TEEN PARTICIPANTS: enrolled in Grade 8 in one of the study schools; informed consent from parent/guardian to participate in study
  • EDUCATOR PARTICIPANTS: currently employed/working as an educator (of any group of learners) at one of the study schools
  • PARENT/CAREGIVER PARTICIPANTS: the male or female parent/caregiver/guardian of a Grade 8 learner in Arm 2 schools

Exclusion criteria

NONE

Treatment and study plan

Skhokho Supporting Success for Schools

Behavioral

All information describing each facet of the intervention are included in the arm/group descriptions.

Skhokho Supporting Success for Families

Behavioral

All information describing each facet of the intervention are included in the arm/group descriptions.

Primary outcomes

  1. The incidence of IPV (perpetration of physical or sexual IPV for boys and victimisation for girls)

    Time frame: Over 18 months of the study

    Any participant who responds affirmatively to any one of the five questions on physical intimate partner violence or one question on sexual intimate partner violence at the 6, 12 or 18 month data collection points will be deemed to be an incident case of IPV victimisation (if female) or perpetration (if male).

  2. The incidence of severe physical and sexual IPV

    Time frame: Over the last 12 months of the study

    Any participant who responds affirmatively to more than one of the five questions on physical intimate partner violence and/or one question on sexual intimate partner violence at the 12 or 18 month data collection points will be deemed to be an incident case of severe IPV victimisation (if female) or perpetration (if male).

Secondary outcomes

  1. Child-caregiver communication scores

    Time frame: 18 month follow up

    difference in scores derived through summing 5 questions

  2. Childhood trauma scale scores

    Time frame: 18 month follow up

    Difference in scores derived through summing 15 items

  3. The incidence of non-partner rape victimisation and perpetration

    Time frame: Over 18 months of the study

    Any participant who responds affirmatively to any of the non-partner rape questions (2 for girls and 4 for boys) will be deemed to be an incident case of non-partner rape victimisation (if female) and perpetration (if male)

  4. Childhood trauma exposure incidence

    Time frame: 18 month follow up

    Positive affirmation of teens and environment at home Emotional neglect Physical abuse Sexual abuse

  5. Bullying at school score

    Time frame: 18 month follow up

    Comparison of scores across 3 items

  6. Score for communication with girlfriend/boyfriend

    Time frame: 18 month follow up

    Difference in scores measured through summing responses to 5 items

  7. The incidence of emotional Intimate Partner Violence perpetration (for boys) and victimisation (for girls)

    Time frame: 18 months follow up

    Any participant who responds affirmatively to any one of the three questions on emotional intimate partner violence at the 6, 12 or 18 month data collection points will be deemed to be an incident case of emotional IPV victimisation (if female) or perpetration (if male).

  8. the incidence of delinquency

    Time frame: 18-month follow up

    Any participant who responds affirmatively to any one of five questions on delinquency at the 6, 12 or 18 months data collection points will be deemed to be an incident case of delinquency

  9. Depression and anxiety score measured on the Child Depression Inventory

    Time frame: 18-month follow up

    The difference in scores

  10. Gender attitudes score measured across 5 items

    Time frame: 18-month follow up

    the difference in scores

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Medical Research Council, South Africa

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Skhokho Supporting Success: A Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial of a Multi-faceted, School-based Intimate Partner Violence Primary Prevention Intervention in Gauteng, South Africa

Important dates

Study start
2013
Primary completion
2013
Study completion
2016
First posted
Jan 28, 2015
Registry last updated
Aug 1, 2017

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.