Healthy Relationships Training Study: A Comparison of Interventions to Reduce Dating Violence on College Campuses

NCT03950128 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 17-547
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 88
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to compare the efficacy of a mindfulness-based skills training (MBST) to a psychoeducational intervention at reducing dating violence in a sample of college students. The MBST focuses on improving college students' abilities to manage emotionally charged states during conflict with their romantic partners by teaching them mindfulness-based skills. The psychoeducational intervention uses the Love is Not Abuse curriculum. Treatment groups are randomly assigned and are compared using a two-armed parallel design. 88 college students currently in a dating relationship were recruited through Kent State University's subject pool. All participants completed a baseline assessment online where self-reported data was collected on demographics, dating violence (during the past month), emotion regulation, mindfulness skills, and other potential covariates. Participants were then randomized into either the MBST intervention or the psychoeducational intervention. All participants completed three 50-minute sessions over the course of three weeks with assigned homework between sessions. Daily diary data was collected, assessing knowledge and use of skills learned in the sessions. Follow-up data was collected online 11 weeks following baseline (dating violence (during the last month), emotion regulation, mindfulness skills). It was hypothesized that the MBST intervention would be more effective at reducing dating violence as compared to the psychoeducational intervention.

Conditions

Dating Violence

Keywords

Dating aggression; Emotion regulation; Mindfulness; Mindfulness-based skills; Romantic relationships; Dating relationships

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Change in Conflict in Adolescent Dating Relationships Inventory (CADR; Wolfe et al., 2001)

  A 35-item self-report measure of physical, verbal, and sexual dating violence.

  Baseline (4th week of semester) and Follow-up (11 weeks after baseline)

Secondary Outcomes (3)

• Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills (KIMS; Baer, Smith, & Allen, 2004)

  Baseline (4th week of semester) and Follow-up (11 weeks after baseline)

• The Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS; Gratz & Roemer, 2004)

  Baseline (4th week of semester) and Follow-up (11 weeks after baseline)

• 3. Intimate Partner Violence Attitudes Scale-Revised (IPVAS-R; Fincham, Cui, Braithwaite, & Pasley, 2008)

  Baseline (4th week of semester) and Follow-up (11 weeks after baseline)

Study Arms (2)

Mindfulness-Based Skills Training

EXPERIMENTAL

This intervention teaches students mindfulness-based skills to help manage their emotions when resolving conflict with their partners. The intervention is given over the course of three 50-minute sessions with homework between sessions.

Behavioral: Mindfulness-Based Skills Training (MBST)

Psychoeducational

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

This intervention is based on the Love is Not Abuse (LINA) Curriculum (Liz Claiborne Education Development Center (n.d.)). It was adapted to be given over the course of three 50-minute sessions.

Behavioral: Psychoeducational

Interventions

Mindfulness-Based Skills Training (MBST) BEHAVIORAL

This intervention teaches students mindfulness-based skills to help manage their emotions when resolving conflict with their partners. The skills followed the "ABCDE" acronym. ABCDE stands for awareness, breathing, checking in with your feelings and thoughts, describing your experience, and expressing what you want to change. Students learned about the skills and had opportunities to practice them as well.

Mindfulness-Based Skills Training

Psychoeducational BEHAVIORAL

This intervention is based on the Love is Not Abuse (LINA) Curriculum (Liz Claiborne Education Development Center (n.d.)). It was adapted to be given over the course of three 50-minute sessions. The selected materials covered (a) what dating abuse is, (b) the pattern of abuse and, (c) technology and dating abuse. The curriculum is interactive and includes handouts, activities, and discussion.

Psychoeducational

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• In a current dating relationship (of 6 months or longer)

You may not qualify if:

• Diagnosed with psychopathology (Major Depressive Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder)

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Kent State University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Kent State University

Kent, Ohio, 44242, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Emotional Regulation

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Self-Control; Social Behavior; Behavior

Study Officials

• Manfred van Dulmen, PhD

  Kent State University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: DOUBLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Associate Dean, Professor of Psychological Sciences

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: May 9, 2019
• First Posted: May 15, 2019
• Study Start: February 5, 2018
• Primary Completion: December 2, 2018
• Study Completion: December 2, 2018
• Last Updated: May 15, 2019

Record last verified: 2019-05

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)