Qualitative evaluation of the Mentors in Violence Prevention pilot in Scottish high schools

Objective The Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) program originated in the US and adopts a bystander approach to gender-based violence prevention by harnessing group processes using a peer-learning model. This paper presents the first qualitative evaluation, within a European context, of a pilot application of MVP within a Scottish High School setting. Method The evaluation comprises a series of interviews and focus groups with school staff, and pupils (‘mentors’ and ‘mentees’) at three participating schools. The study’s research purposes are to explore: 1. Experiences of participating in MVP; 2. Participants’ perceived impact of MVP (with regards attitudinal and behavioral change with a particular emphasis upon social norms); and 3. Participants’ opinions on the relevance and sustainability of MVP. Results All three categories of participant reported generally positive experiences of MVP in terms of recruitment, training, and implementation. The peer-learning model was particularly useful in engaging mentees, and facilitating support networks outside the classroom. Moreover, positive attitudinal and behavioral change regarding gender-based violence was reported by all three participant categories, but was particularly prevalent amongst mentors. However, participants highlighted the importance of ensuring MVP is culturally relevant, and the need for integration into school life to ensure its sustainability. Conclusions An initial qualitative analysis of MVP within Scottish High Schools suggests the peer-learning program was experienced positively, with self-reported impact on gender-based violence attitudes and behaviors (including bystander intervention). A number of recommendations have been made to inform future implementation of MVP, and the need for robust, on-going evaluation.PostprintPeer reviewe

Parental misperceptions of ingroup norms for child discipline

This work is based on research supported in part by the National Research Foundation of South Africa (grants numbered IFR2011033100037 and IFR170206222035) and the Economic and Social Research Council (ES/N01068X/1).The influence of perceived social norms on behaviour has been studied in a variety of domains. However, little research has examined their application to child discipline. This study explored social norms perceptions and their associations with parental discipline in greater Cape Town, South Africa. A cross‐sectional study of 195 mothers (using convenience sampling) from two Early Childhood Development centres examined self‐reported violent and non‐violent parenting behaviour, and perceived descriptive (usual behaviour in a group) and injunctive (appraisal of such behaviour) group norms. Parents overestimated the prevalence of violent parenting. Perceived descriptive norms of violent parenting were associated with self‐reported violent parenting behaviour; and perceived descriptive norms of non‐violent parenting were associated with self‐reported non‐violent parenting behaviour. Estimation of support for violent and for non‐violent parenting differed by centre, as did the relationship between perceived injunctive norms of non‐violent parenting and self‐reported non‐violent parenting behaviour. We also found significant effects of social identification, parent educational attainment and parent‐reported child misbehaviour. Parents' perceptions of group norms of parental discipline may be mistaken yet influence their own behaviour, providing the potential basis for violence prevention interventions.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Social identification and risk dynamics : how perceptions of (inter)personal and collective risk impact the adoption of COVID-19 preventative behaviors

This work was supported by the UK Research and Innovation/Economic and Social Research Council (grant reference number ES/V005383/1).Public adoption of preventative behaviors to reduce the transmission of COVID-19 is crucial to managing the pandemic, and so it is vital to determine what factors influence the uptake of those behaviors. Previous studies have identified COVID-19 risk perceptions as a key factor, but this work has typically been limited both in assuming that risk means risk to the personal self, and in being reliant on self-reported data. Drawing on the social identity approach, we conducted two online studies in which we investigated the effects of two different types of risk on preventative measure taking: risk to the personal self and risk to the collective self (i.e., members of a group with which one identifies). Both studies involved behavioral measures using innovative interactive tasks. In Study 1 (n = 199; data collected 27 May 2021), we investigated the effects of (inter)personal and collective risk on physical distancing. In Study 2 (n = 553; data collected 20 September 2021), we investigated the effects of (inter)personal and collective risk on the speed at which tests are booked as COVID-19 symptoms develop. In both studies, we find that perceptions of collective risk, but not perceptions of (inter)personal risk, influence the extent to which preventative measures are adopted. We discuss the implications both conceptually (as they relate to both the conceptualization of risk and social identity processes) and also practically (in terms of the implications for public health communications).Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Violence brief interventions : a rapid review

This research was funded by the Violence Reduction Unit (Police Scotland).Provision of a Violence Brief Intervention (VBI) to young men undergoing treatment for a violent injury may represent a teachable moment for the prevention of future interpersonal violence in Scotland. Prior to intervention design, a rapid review of the research literature was necessary to examine existing programmes. After title and abstract screening, eight distinct VBIs were identified from full texts. Whilst none of the programmes were a perfect match for our intervention goals, they did demonstrate the potential effectiveness of brief interventions for violence prevention at both cognitive and behavioural levels. Key themes of successful interventions included brief motivational interviewing as an effective method of engaging with at-risk participants and encouraging change, the utility of social norms approaches for correcting peer norm misperceptions, the usefulness of working with victims of violence in medical settings (particularly oral and maxillofacial surgeries), the importance of addressing the role of alcohol after violent injury, the advantages of a computer-therapist hybrid model of delivery, and the need for adequate follow-up evaluation as part of a randomised control trial. This information has been used to design a VBI which is currently under evaluation.PostprintPeer reviewe

Beyond 'stampedes' : towards a new psychology of crowd crush disasters

Funders: the Economic and Social Research Council (grant reference number ES/T007249/1).The Bethnal Green tube shelter disaster, in which 173 people died, is a significant event in both history and psychology. While notions of “panic” and “stampede” have been discredited in contemporary psychology and disaster research as explanations for crowd crushes, some have cited Bethnal Green as the exception that proves the rule. Alternative explanations for crushing disasters focus on mismanagement and physical factors, and lack a psychology. We analysed 85 witness statements from the Bethnal Green tragedy to develop a new psychological account of crowd disasters. Contrary to the established view of the Bethnal Green disaster as caused by widespread public overreaction to the sound of rockets, our analysis suggests that public perceptions were contextually calibrated to a situation of genuine threat; that only a small minority misperceived the sound; and that therefore this cannot account for the surge behaviour in the majority. We develop a new model, in which crowd flight behaviour in response to threat is normatively structured rather than uncontrolled, and in which crowd density combines with both limited information on obstruction and normatively expected ingress behaviour to create a crushing disaster.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Understanding crowd responses to perceived hostile threats : a multidisciplinary approach

People facing threat may evacuate, help others, confront the source of threat, share information, ignore the threat and the plight of others, or enact a combination of these behaviours. Accurate conceptual models of crowd behaviours must consider why and when these behaviours occur, as well as how people’s responses may vary across different scenarios. Researchers have investigated crowd responses to threats using a variety of methods such as interviews, observational analysis and virtual reality experiments. Each methodology offers benefits to understanding collective responses to threats but each methodology also has limitations. Importantly, very little research has explored crowd responses in false alarm situations where crowd members misperceive that a threat exists. In this paper, we describe a new multidisciplinary programme of work which combines approaches from safety engineering and social psychology to gain a thorough understanding of crowd behaviour in response to real and (mis)perceived threats, and the processes underpinning the behaviour. We focus on how we identified and addressed the similarities and differences in our research questions, conceptual approaches to research, and methodological abilities. We demonstrate how our multidisciplinary approach provides a framework for combining diverse research methods that collectively build knowledge to create more accurate models of crowd responses to (mis)perceived threats.Peer reviewe

Trends in bullying victimization in Scottish adolescents (1994-2014) : changing associations with mental well-being

Objectives Bullying victimization among schoolchildren is a major public health concern. This paper aims to analyse the changing associations over two decades between bullying victimization and mental well-being in a representative Scottish schoolchildren sample. Methods Data were collected in six rounds of the cross-sectional Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study in Scotland, with 42,312 adolescents (aged 11, 13 and 15 years). Logistic and linear regression were used to examine changes in the association between bullying victimization and mental well-being. Results The prevalence of bullying victimization rates in Scotland increased between 1994 and 2014 for most age-gender groups, apart from 13-year old boys and 15-year old girls. Over time, female victims reported less confidence and happiness and more psychological complaints than their nonbullied counterparts. This worsening effect over time was not observed in boys. Conclusions Overall, our evidence indicates that the associations between bullying victimization and poor mental well-being strengthened overtime for bullied girls. This finding might partly explain the observed deterioration in mental health indicators among Scottish adolescent girls.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Unemployment, parental distress and youth emotional well-being : the moderation roles of parent-youth relationship and financial deprivation

We investigated, in a sample of 112 unemployed parents of adolescents aged 10-19 years, the links between parental distress and change in youth emotional problems related to parental unemployment, and the moderation roles of parent-youth relationship and financial deprivation. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and correlations. Further, simple moderation, additive moderation, and moderated moderation models of regression were performed to analyze the effects of parental distress, parent-youth relationship and financial deprivation in predicting change in youth emotional problems related to parental unemployment. Results show that parental distress moderated by parent-youth relationship predicted levels of change in youth emotional problems related to parental unemployment. This study provides evidence that during job loss, parental distress is linked to youth emotional well-being and that parent-youth relationships play an important moderation role. This raises the importance of further researching parental distress impacts on youth well-being, especially during periods of high unemployment rates.PostprintPeer reviewe

HBSC 2014 Survey in Scotland National Report

Publisher PD

Sport-related domestic violence : exploring the complex relationship between sporting events and domestic violence

The link between sport and violence is widely acknowledged. While the focus has been on “player violence” and “crowd violence” it is recognised that a variety of other incidents of sports-related violence exist, including domestic violence. Empirical and anecdotal evidence point toward increased rates of domestic violence among male athletes. Moreover, there is evidence that domestic violence also increases around sporting events in wider society; however, the evidence is at times contradictory. It is not argued that sport causes domestic violence, but that it can provide the conditions that enable forms of domestic violence. It is acknowledged that the evidence is at most correlational, and that further work is needed to understand this complex association. In particular, the “holy trinity” of sports, alcohol, and hegemonic masculinity is offered to explain this association. The wide appeal of sport can, however, be exploited to engage with males and support them in confronting the issues that underpin domestic violence, in conjunction with female empowerment and the pursuit of gender equality.PostprintNon peer reviewe