Effects of an Interactive School-Based Program for Preventing Adolescent Sexual Harassment: A Cluster-Randomized Controlled Evaluation Study

Many adolescents experience sexual harassment and victims of sexual harassment have higher risks regarding well-being and health behaviors such as higher risks of suicidal thoughts, suicidal ideation and feeling unsafe at school. A peer-performed play and school lessons on preventing sexual harassment behavior were presented to secondary school students. We evaluated its effectiveness, using a cluster-randomized controlled design to assign schools to an experimental condition [n = 14 schools; 431 students (51 % female)] and a control condition [n = 11 schools; 384 students (51 % female)]. To measure the effects of the intervention at first post-test and 6-month follow-up, our multilevel analyses used a two-level random intercept model. Outcome measures were sexual harassment behaviors, behavioral determinants and distal factors influencing these behaviors. At post-test, students in the experimental group reported a reduced intention to commit sexual harassment behavior and higher self-efficacy in rejecting it. At post-test and follow-up there was a significant positive effect on social norms for rejecting sexual harassment behavior. At follow-up, sexual self-esteem was higher in students in the experimental group than in the control group. Effects on these determinants will benefit adolescents’ future sexual behaviors. In combination, the play and lessons, possibly together with continued sexual health education and skills programs on social-emotional learning in subsequent school years, have potential for preventing sexual harassment behavior

#MeToo en seksueel grensoverschrijdend gedrag van scholieren

Seksueel grensoverschrijdend gedrag in onder andere de amusementswereld doet al enkele maanden stof opwaaien. Vrouwen die te maken hebben gehad met seksueel geweld of ongewenst gedrag, geven met #MeToo op Twitter en Facebook een statement af dat grenzen zijn bereikt en overschreden. Al op jonge leeftijd is het geven van aandacht aan het voorkómen van seksueel grensoverschrijdend gedrag nodig. Dit is voor ouders en scholen geen gemakkelijke opdracht. Gelukkig zijn gezondheidsbevorderingsprogramma’s voor scholen beschikbaar. Alleen is het tegengaan van grensoverschrijdend gedrag tegelijkertijd noodzakelijk en lastig

School-based sex and relationship education: Towards a positive sexual self-esteem

An increasing number of young people are confronted with sexually transgressive behavior, such as sexting (sending and receiving sexual images or messages against someone's will), sexual remarks and dating violence. Two existing Dutch teaching programs on sex and relationships, and in particular on the occurrence of sexually transgressive behavior of young people, were evaluated for this PhD research: Benzies & Batchies and Jongens. Based on the positive results found, the thesis concludes that such curriculum can be used to prevent young people's unacceptable behavior; the programs must take account of differences between the sexes and the level of development of the pupils. This dissertation offers support to professionals who develop preventive interventions, and to professionals who work with young people in schools, such as teachers and school staff

Preventing adolescent sexual harassment:evaluating the planning process in two school-based interventions using the Intervention Mapping framework

Background: The development of school-based programs for preventing adolescent sexual harassment often lacks an evidence-based approach and use of proper theories. Appropriate stakeholders are often not involved in the development process. To help improve this process, we used the Intervention Mapping framework to retrospectively evaluate the development of two school-based programs, Benzies & Batchies and Boys, each of which was intended to prevent sexual harassment among adolescent students of a lower educational level in the Netherlands. The two interventions were among the first school-based programs targeting sexual harassment, and were implemented in Dutch secondary schools. Methods: As well as doing desk research into the context and content of the interventions, we used semi-structured focused interviews with the initial developers to gather their opinions on and experiences with the development process, whereby the topics were based on the six steps of the IM framework. To better suit the needs of the respondents, we had adapted the language of our topics and had used open-ended questions The data we had gathered from the desk research and face-to-face consultations were checked against a planning tool that was based on 19 tasks within the six steps of IM. Results: Although both programs had been developed in practice and lacked a thorough theoretical foundation, the methods and materials used represented aspects of behavior-change theories. The developers of Benzies & Batchies completed slightly more planning criteria within the six steps of the planning process, and used more change methods than the developers of Boys did. Conclusions: We recommend that parents should also be involved in the development of sex and relationship education programs, and should be allowed to participate in the program itself. To meet the needs of intervention developers, greater insight is needed into the importance of the individual steps in the Intervention Mapping framework. In our view, the development of practice-based interventions will improve if future intervention developers combine evidence-based theories with their practice-based experience. This will increase the success and effectiveness of their interventions

Work Package 9: A report containing consensus statements on most optimal models with guidance on potential benefits and how these might be achieved

Consensus statements of stakeholders on most optimal models of child primary healthcare with guidance on potential benefits and how these might be achieve

Effects of an Interactive School-Based Program for Preventing Adolescent Sexual Harassment: A Cluster-Randomized Controlled Evaluation Study

Abstract Many adolescents experience sexual harassment and victims of sexual harassment have higher risks regarding well-being and health behaviors such as higher risks of suicidal thoughts, suicidal ideation and feeling unsafe at school. A peer-performed play and school lessons on preventing sexual harassment behavior were presented to secondary school students. We evaluated its effectiveness, using a cluster-randomized controlled design to assign schools to an experimental condition [n = 14 schools; 431 students (51 % female)] and a control condition [n = 11 schools; 384 students (51 % female)]. To measure the effects of the intervention at first post-test and 6-month follow-up, our multilevel analyses used a twolevel random intercept model. Outcome measures were sexual harassment behaviors, behavioral determinants and distal factors influencing these behaviors. At post-test, students in the experimental group reported a reduced intention to commit sexual harassment behavior and higher self-efficacy in rejecting it. At post-test and follow-up there was a significant positive effect on social norms for rejecting sexual harassment behavior. At follow-up, sexual self-esteem was higher in students in the experimental group than in the control group. Effects on these determinants will benefit adolescents' future sexual behaviors. In combination, the play and lessons, possibly together with continued sexual health education and skills programs on social-emotional learning in subsequent school years, have potential for preventing sexual harassment behavior