Violence Prevention Interventions: Change Processes and Programme Effectiveness.
Kovalenko, A
Date: 26 February 2024
Thesis or dissertation
Publisher
University of Exeter
Degree Title
Doctor of Philosophy in Medical Studies
Abstract
Recent empirical research acknowledged that violence prevention strategies have produced mixed results, and despite the decades of research it
is still unclear what works to prevent interpersonal violence and violence against women. What is known, however, is that bystander programmes may be an
effective strategy to improve knowledge ...
Recent empirical research acknowledged that violence prevention strategies have produced mixed results, and despite the decades of research it
is still unclear what works to prevent interpersonal violence and violence against women. What is known, however, is that bystander programmes may be an
effective strategy to improve knowledge and attitudes and have been implemented predominantly on university campuses. Many of such programmes
target all-male groups as there is an evidence of a relationship between fraternity or sports membership and sexual violence perpetration. It is surprising, however, that with the increased reports of high profile cases, no such primary prevention programmes have been evaluated in a professional sports setting.
This thesis aimed to identify programme features that proved to be effective in the prevention of interpersonal violence and synthesise the
recommendations for programme developers and evaluators; to identify the preliminary effectiveness of the bystander programme adapted from a university
setting into a real-life professional sport setting in the UK and determine whether it was acceptable and usable; and to explore the social and
psychological mechanisms in football coaches and players that might facilitate bystander behaviour.
A systematic review of reviews of violence prevention programmes was first conducted to identify what works in violence prevention on college and
university campuses. The review synthesised the recommendations on programme development, implementation and evaluation. The evaluation
recommendations were utilised during the quasi-experimental feasibility study of the first bystander programme at a Football Club and Community Trust in the UK. A mixed-method approach was employed to data collection, which included pre- and post-test semi-structured interviews, pre-post-follow-up questionnaires, anonymous open-ended feedback sheets, and fidelity observations.
The systematic review critically appraised and synthesised evidence on programmes that aimed to prevent bullying, sexual violence, domestic abuse, and antisocial behaviour. The recommendations on programme evaluation informed the feasibility study. The quantitative outcome evaluation reported on changes in participants’ (n=34) self-reported attitudes towards sexual violence and domestic abuse as follows: significant long-term improvements were observed in intervention participants’ bystander intent, self-efficacy and rape myth acceptance, and significant short-term improvements in domestic abuse myth acceptance, compared with control group (n=26). No changes were found for other outcomes, including behaviour. The qualitative feasibility evaluation showed that the programme was well-received, however there was room for improvement. In particular, much attention should be paid to facilitator training, and extracurricular sessions should be considered. The exploration of behaviour change processes – the social and psychological mechanisms underpinning behaviour change – showed that they mapped well onto the Bystander Decision-Making model (Latané & Darley, 1970), but new findings were also observed and should be explored with regard to the Social Identity Approach and workplace norms.
This work exposes critical gaps in the field and highlights the importance of using a mixed-methods approach in programme evaluation. The thesis discusses theoretical, methodological and practical implications for future development, evaluation, and implementation of violence prevention programmes.
Doctoral Theses
Doctoral College
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