Prosocial video game as an intimate partner violence prevention tool among youth: A randomised controlled trial

Evidence demonstrates that exposure to prosocial video games can increase players’ prosocial behaviour, prosocial thoughts, and empathic responses. Prosocial gaming has also been used to reduce gender-based violence among young people, but the use of video games to this end as well as evaluations of their effectiveness are rare. The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a context-specific, prosocial video game, Jesse, in increasing affective and cognitive responsiveness (empathy) towards victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) among children and adolescents (N = 172, age range 9 – 17 years, M = 12.27, SD = 2.26). A randomised controlled trial was conducted in seven schools in Barbados. Participants were randomly assigned to an experimental (prosocial video game) or control (standard school curriculum) condition. Experimental and control group enrolled 86 participants each. Girls and boys in the experimental condition, but not their counterparts in the control condition, recorded a significant increase in affective responsiveness after intervention. This change was sustained one week after game exposure. No significant effects were recorded for cognitive responsiveness. Findings suggest that Jesse is a promising new IPV prevention tool among girls and boys, which can be used in educational settings

Teenage pregnancy and child sexual exploitation in the Caribbean: A qualitative study

Background Globally, child sexual exploitation and abuse are widespread but because they are largely hidden, the harm caused is often underestimated. This paper draws on research conducted in six Caribbean countries to examine child sexual exploitation and abuse as contributory factors in the high rate of teenage pregnancy in the region and socio-cultural factors that underpin the problem, with its consequences and costs. The authors propose a framework for analysis and programming that would address these inter-connected issues and generate a more holistic approach to public health policy for both teenage pregnancy and child sexual exploitation. Methods The study used a mixed-methods research design to investigate perceptions and attitudes to CSA, and its consequences in six countries purposively selected to reflect regional diversity. A multi-staged cluster sampling strategy was used to recruit 1,340 adults for a community survey, in-depth interviews and focus groups. Survey data were analyzed using SPSS version 16 and qualitative data were analyzed using the thematic template method. Results CSA was reported as a serious problem in the Caribbean region which profoundly damages the physical, sexual, reproductive, emotional, mental and social well-being of individuals and has knock-on consequences for families and whole societies. Health outcomes include physical injury, teen pregnancy, abortion, sexually transmitted infections (including HIV) and a range of psychological disorders. Conclusions The magnitude of poor health outcomes due to teenage pregnancy arising out of sexual abuse is comparable to other health risks but when the economic costs of the wider implications of child sexual victimization are factored in, the increase in the overall social cost/burden for countries may impede developmental progress and undermine reproductive and other rights for women and girls