Positive Masculinities and Gender-Based Violence Educational Interventions Among Young People: A Systematic Review

The Primary Prevention of Sexual Violence Against Adolescents in School and Community Settings: A Scoping Review

Sexual Violence (SV) is a public health problem with serious long-term consequences for victims. This scoping review aimed at summarizing the implementation, methodology, characteristics, and efficacy of SV prevention programs conducted in school and community settings with middle and high school students. This study also gathered recommendations for future research. Studies were searched in three databases: EBSCOHOST, SCOPUS and Web of Science. Eighty-six peer-reviewed empirical studies about SV prevention programs applied in school and community settings with samples of middle and high school students were analyzed. Most original studies (46.3%) used sexual violence outcomes, although many approached sexual violence in the context of dating violence (43.3%). Most SV prevention programs were applied in the U.S.A. although studies were identified across the globe. Prevention programs tend to reduce SV attitudes, perpetration, and victimization and to increase SV knowledge, as well as bystander attitudes and behaviors. The evidence reveals the efficacy of these programs, although future studies are needed to clarify the specificities of SV prevention. This article provides recommendations considering the measurement of SV outcomes, the role of technology, the involvement of adults and communities, the timing of interventions, sexual education, and reporting practices.

"Thanks to my activists Friends": a qualitative study of perspectives of young adults and professionals on the factors related to seeking support among victims of sexual violence in Spain

BACKGROUND

Sexual violence (SV) is a public health problem with high prevalence among the young population. The use of formal resources for SV care (e.g. institutional services) is low in this age group. This study applies a framework of health assets to identify the factors that positively influence the search for support for SV among young people, the functions of that support and the level of proximity as articulated by both young people and professionals.

METHODS

A qualitative study was conducted through 38 semi-structured interviews with young people and professionals from SV resource centers and/or care services for the young population in Spain. A thematic theoretical analysis was conducted, embedded in inductive insights emerging from the data, following a particular adaptation of the constant comparative method, under the grounded theory approach. This analysis was carried out by coding the interview transcripts with the support of Atlas.ti.

RESULTS

Young women identified assets, categorized as feminist, that they believe they are essential in the search for formal support services for SV. However, unlike young men, they considered the police and judicial system to be barriers and not assets. There were also differences between the young people and professionals in identifying assets. Young people also considered their partner and traditional media as health assets, in contrast to professionals who did not identify these as such valuable resources in the help-seeking process. Informal assets, such as family, friends and the internet are considered close resources. In contrast, specialized care services for gender-based violence/SV and the judicial and police systems were perceived as more distant resources among the young interviewees.

CONCLUSIONS

This study shows similarities and discrepancies among young women and men and SV response professionals in identifying assets for seeking SV support among youth. The study shows an inverse relationship between perceptions of proximity and the level of formality of the asset. This study also contributes to map the relationships and information exchanges between assets. It is advisable to inform professionals about the assets that professionals do not acknowledge, and about actions that allow young people to access formal resources.

[Discourses on violence against women by young people and professionals in Spain: PositivMasc project]

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the discourses of young people and professionals on violence against women and to explore possible strategies for its prevention in Spain.

METHOD

Qualitative study based on semi-structured interviews with 16 young people (18-24 years old) and 23 professionals working in violence against women prevention. A discourse analysis was carried out to identify the main interpretative repertoires.

RESULTS

The four interpretative repertoires of this study reflect how young people perceive physical violence in the domestic sphere as the most visible type of violence against women. In their discourses, both young men and women describe the bidirectional nature of intimate partner violence. The allusion to the responsibility of social agents in the perpetuation of violence against women emerges. Finally, young people and professionals emphasize the key role of boys in the prevention of violence against women.

CONCLUSIONS

Physical violence continues to be the main type of violence perceived by the young population, but most girls were able to identify other more subtle and normalized forms of violence. Social agents have a strong influence on the imaginary of violence against women in the young population. Finally, future strategies against violence against women must involve young men in community-based strategies that work to promote positive and egalitarian attitudes and relationships.

"I Reject it, But That's What Normally Happens": Grey Zones of Gender-Based Violence and Gender Roles in Young People

There has been growing concern about the increase in gender-based violence (GBV) among young people. The aim of this study was to explore the grey zones in GBV alongside gender (masculinities and femininities) discourses in young adults. We used the concept of a "grey zone" as an analytical tool to identify possible contradictory discursive positions where the notions of victims and perpetrators of GBV converge and become ambiguous. We performed a qualitative study based on 20 semi-structured interviews and 4 focus groups (October 2019 to February 2020) in Spain with a sample of 49 cisgender women and men, aged between 18 and 24, some involved in feminist activism and some not. We conducted a sociological analysis of the discourse system. Study findings show how culturally constructed gender norms intervene in the ways in which young people understand and deal with GBV. When asked general questions about GBV, this concept was problematized along with gender assumptions and two discursive positions were identified: the discourse of "men as authors of GBV" and the discourse of "GBV as an individual genderless issue." When vignettes of everyday GBV situations were shown, grey zones became visible when discussing subtle forms of GBV influenced by the myths of romantic love, victim-blaming around sexual violence, digital GBV and bystander men intervention on GBV. In those grey zones, discourses on GBV were articulated around unequal notions of gender that, in turn, served as its justification, reproduction, and normalization. The grey zones identified represent contexts of oppression that illustrate how GBV is systematically reproduced, as well as the ways in which young people can be involved in it, perpetuating power and health inequalities. Our findings provide information as a guide to design GBV interventions and prevention actions that incorporate a focus on gender configurations.

Promoting Positive Masculinities to Address Violence Against Women: A Multicountry Concept Mapping Study

Interventions engaging men that challenge unequal gender norms have been shown to be effective in reducing violence against women (VAW). However, few studies have explored how to promote anti-VAW positive masculinity in young adults. This study aims to identify key multicountry strategies, as conceived by young adults and other stakeholders, for promoting positive masculinities to improve gender equity and prevent and target VAW. This study (2019-2021) involved young adults (aged 18-24 years) and stakeholders from Ireland, Israel, Spain, and Sweden. We applied concept mapping, a participatory mixed-method approach, in phases: (1) brainstorming, using semi-structured interviews with young adults (n = 105) and stakeholders (n = 60), plus focus group discussions (n = 88), to collect ideas for promoting anti-VAW positive masculinity; (2) development of an online questionnaire for sorting (n = 201) and rating ideas emerging from brainstorming by importance (n = 406) and applicability (n = 360); (3) based on sorting and rating data, creating rating maps for importance and applicability and clusters/strategies using multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis with groupwisdom™ software; and (4) interpretation of results with multicountry stakeholders to reach agreement. The cluster map identified seven key strategies (41 actions) for promoting anti-VAW positive masculinities ranked from highest to lowest: Formal and informal education and training; Preventive education and activities in different settings/areas; Skills and knowledge; Empathy, reflection, and understanding; Media and public efforts; Policy, legislation, and the criminal justice system; and Organizational actions and interventions. Pattern matches indicated high agreement between young people and stakeholders in ranking importance (r = 0.96), but low agreement for applicability (r = 0.60). Agreement in the total sample on prioritizing statements by importance and applicability was also low (r = 0.20); only 14 actions were prioritized as both important and applicable. Young people and stakeholders suggested seven comprehensive, multidimensional, multi-setting strategies to facilitate promoting positive masculinity to reduce VAW. Discrepancy between importance and applicability might indicate policy and implementation obstacles.

Impacts of GlobalConsent, a Web-Based Social Norms Edutainment Program, on Sexually Violent Behavior and Bystander Behavior Among University Men in Vietnam: Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND

Sexual violence against women is prevalent worldwide. Prevention programs that treat men as allies and integrate a bystander framework are emerging in lower income settings, but evidence of their effectiveness is conflicting.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to test the impact of GlobalConsent on sexually violent behavior and prosocial bystander behavior among university men in Vietnam.

METHODS

We used a double-blind, parallel intervention versus control group design with 1:1 randomization at 2 universities. A total of 793 consenting heterosexual or bisexual men aged 18-24 years who matriculated in September 2019 were enrolled and assigned randomly to GlobalConsent or an attention-control adolescent health education (AHEAD) program. GlobalConsent is an adapted, theory-based, 6-module web-based intervention with diverse behavior change techniques and a locally produced serial drama. AHEAD is a customized, 6-module attention-control program on adolescent health. Both the programs were delivered to computers and smartphones over 12 weeks. Self-reported sexually violent behaviors toward women in the prior 6 months and prosocial bystander behaviors in the prior year were measured at 0, 6, and 12 months.

RESULTS

More than 92.7% (735/793) of men in both study arms completed at least 1 program module, and >90.2% (715/793) of men completed all 6 modules. At baseline, a notable percentage of men reported any sexually violent behavior (GlobalConsent: 123/396, 31.1%; AHEAD: 103/397, 25.9%) in the prior 6 months. Among men receiving GlobalConsent, the odds of reporting a high level (at least 2 acts) of sexually violent behavior at the endline were 1.3 times the odds at baseline. Among men receiving AHEAD, the corresponding odds ratio was higher at 2.7. The odds of reporting any bystander behavior at endline were 0.7 times the odds at baseline for GlobalConsent, and the corresponding odds ratio for AHEAD was lower at 0.5.

CONCLUSIONS

Compared with a health attention-control condition, GlobalConsent has sustained favorable impacts on sexually violent behavior and prosocial bystander behavior among matriculating university men in Vietnam, who would otherwise face increasing risks of sexually violent behavior. GlobalConsent shows promise for national scale-up and regional adaptations.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04147455; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04147455.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID)

RR2-10.1186/s12889-020-09454-2.

Gender-based violence in Latin America (Ecuador and Argentina): current state and challenges in the development of psychoeducational materials

Gender-based violence (GBV) is a complex social and public health problem, which represents a human rights violation. Globally, GBV tends to occur in intimate partner relationships. Latin American countries report high rates of this violence. Despite their social and historical differences, Ecuador and Argentina are among Latin countries that aim to dismantle patriarchy. Developing psychoeducation materials is one way in which communities can recognize and prevent GBV. Psycholinguistics can provide useful tools to facilitate learning about this social issue: prior studies suggest that promoting the establishment of discourse connections, the generation of emotion inferences and the emotional involvement of the comprehender facilitate written and spoken discourse comprehension. The aim of this commentary article is to present an overview of the current incidence of GBV in Ecuador and Argentina, and to highlight the contributions that preliminary research on discourse comprehension can make to facilitate learning about GBV prevention strategies. Finally, we will discuss possible research guidelines and future directions. We expect that this manuscript will contribute to highlighting the importance of promoting social awareness of GBV and, therefore, the crucial role of the design and implementation of scientifically based interventions.

[Sexism and intimate partner violence in adolescents]

OBJECTIVE

Despite the efforts to reduce gender inequality, sexism persists. There are still few studies on this matter that consider variables such as sexual desire or migration background. The aim of this study is to analyse the social circumstances (individual and from the immediate context) associated with sexism as well as its relationship with intimate partner violence perpetration amongst adolescents.

METHOD

Cross-sectional study with 1421 students aged 13-17 from Alicante and Terrassa (2019-2021). Sexism was measured with the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory, which assesses ambivalent, hostile and benevolent sexism. Generalized linear models were carried out and stratified by sex to identify variables associated with sexism. A logistic regression model was used to assess the association between sexism and intimate partner violence.

RESULTS

The likelihood of a high score in ambivalent sexism was higher in migrants (girls and boys: p<0.01) and adolescents with migrant parents (girls: p<0.01; boys: p<0.05). Non-heterosexual desire was negatively associated with sexism in girls (benevolent: p<0.01) and boys (ambivalent and hostile: p<0.01; benevolent: p<0.05). Hostile sexism showed association with intimate partner violence perpetration, independently of the rest of the adjustment variables included in the model, for both girls (odds ratio [OR]: 1.07; 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 1.00-1.14) and boys (OR: 1.11; 95% CI: 1.03-1.20).

CONCLUSIONS

Sexism is present amongst teenagers and its relationship with intimate partner violence is confirmed. Sexual desire and migration background should be taken into account for intimate partner violence prevention.

Evaluation of the lights4violence program: reduction in machismo and acceptance of violence among adolescents in Europe

Background

Machismo and acceptance of violence (AV) against women are part of the social construction of hegemonic masculinity and are related to the risk of dating violence. This study aims to analyze the effectiveness of the Lights4Violence program in reducing machismo and AV in secondary school students from different European cities.

Methods

Quasi-experimental longitudinal study using a convenience sample of 1,146 high school students from different European cities (12–17 years old) including 575 intervention group students (59.1% girls) and 571 control group students (62.7% girls). We performed linear regression models to identify the effect of the intervention, modelling the difference in means in machismo and AV (dependent variables) between wave-2 and wave-1.

Results

An interaction was identified between the group variable and the empathy variable. In wave-2, girls with high empathy at baseline in the intervention group obtained lower mean AV scores (β: -0.131; p = 0.004). However, the boys in the intervention group (reference: control group) with low empathy at baseline registered a significant increase in the mean values of machismo (β: 0.247; p < 0.001).

Conclusion

The importance of empathy is shown in the effectiveness of interventions to reduce machismo and AV in adolescents. While the Lights4Violence program focuses on promoting healthy relationships, there were some controversial results. It is possible that some children, especially those with less empathy, may have felt “challenged” during the intervention and/or assessment. This suggests the need for the development of interventions that also consider psychological processes and integrate the promotion of positive expressions of masculinity.