Protecting Allies in Risky Situations

NCT04691492 | Completed Results

• 1 other identifier: R34AA027046
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 108
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The current project will provide testing of a friend-based motivational interview (FMI) designed to reduce sexual assault risk. The study will address if the intervention minimizes the impact of alcohol on helping behavior, test whether drinking reduces intervention efficacy, and examine potential iatrogenic effects of the intervention.

Conditions

Sexual Assault; College Drinking; Behavioral Changes

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (7)

• Change in Readiness to Intervene on the Readiness Ruler

  Participants will use an 11-point likert-type scale modeled after the Readiness Ruler to rate their readiness for intervening. Responses range from 0 (I never think about my and/or my friend's risk of being sexually assaulted) to 10 (I am actively and consistently taking steps to protect myself and/or my friends from sexual assault), with higher scores indicating a greater readiness to intervene.

  Baseline and Monthly for 3 months

• Change in Readiness to Intervene on the Decisional Balance Scale

  The 10-item Decisional Balance Scale (Banyard et al., 2007) is used to assess ambivalence about intervening in a potential assault situation. Responses regarding the decision whether to intervene or not are rated on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (Not at all likely) to 5 (Extremely likely), with higher scores indicating a greater readiness to intervene.

  Baseline and 3 month follow up

• Change in Awareness and Strategies Regarding Alcohol Effects on Helping Survey

  This 8-item survey measures awareness of and strategies for alcohol's effects on helping behavior and participants' understanding of the ways that alcohol may interfere with helping behavior. Responses range from 1 (Not at all true) to 5 (Very much true), with higher scores indicating a greater understanding of how alcohol interferes with helping behavior.

  Baseline and Monthly for 3 months

• Change in Friend-Based Helping Skills on Friend-based Assault Protective Strategies Assessment

  The Friend-based Assault Protective Strategies Assessment uses 20 items to assess sexual assault preventive strategy use. Responses range from 1 (Not at all) to 4 (A lot), with higher scores indicating a greater use of strategies to prevent sexual assault.

  Baseline and Monthly for 3 months

• Change in Friend-Based Helping Skills on the Bystander Behaviors Scale for Friends

  We used a modified version of The Bystander Behaviors Scale for Friends is a 44-item measure which includes 4 sub-scales (1) the identification of sexual assault risk situations, (2) accessing resources, (3) planning ahead for risk situations, and (4) safety behaviors in risk settings. We used a selection of 20 questions from the full measure including items from each subscale. Response option include (0) No I did not engage in this behavior, (1) Yes I did engage in this behavior, or (missing) I did not perceive an opportunity to engage in this behavior. A higher endorsement of "Yes" (higher score) engaging in the behaviors is considered to indicate a greater use of strategies to prevent sexual assault.

  Baseline and Monthly for 3 months

• Change in Perceived Barriers to Intervening on the Barriers to Sexual Assault Bystander Intervention Scale

  The Barriers to Sexual Assault Bystander Intervention Scale is a 16-item measure to assess barriers to intervening. Responses range from 1 (Strongly disagree) to 7 (Strongly agree), with higher scores indicating greater perceived barriers to intervening.

  Baseline and Monthly for 3 months

• Change in Perceived Barriers to Intervening on the Concerns About Intervening Scale

  The Concerns About Intervening Scale uses 6 items to assess perceived barriers to intervening, focused on worries. Responses range from 1 (Not at all true) to 6 (Very much true), with higher scores indicating greater perceived barriers to intervening.

  Baseline and Monthly for 3 months

Secondary Outcomes (2)

• Sexual Assault

  Monthly after baseline for 3 months

• Change in Drinking

  Baseline and Monthly for 3 months

Study Arms (2)

Friends-Based Motivational Interview (FMI) Group

EXPERIMENTAL

Will participate in the Friends-Based Motivational Interview (FMI) program.

Behavioral: Friend-Based Motivational Interview

Wait List Control

NO INTERVENTION

The Wait List Control group will also be offered to participate in the Friends-Based Motivational Interview Program but at a deferred date (12 weeks later).

Interventions

Friend-Based Motivational Interview BEHAVIORAL

The intervention will use Motivational Interviewing's (MI) collaborative conversation style for strengthening commitment to change, to motivate and prepare women to work together to reduce Sexual Assault (SA) risk. This intervention will target ways that the friend dyad may support, encourage, and share responsibility with one another in protecting against SA. The Friend-based MI (FMI) will then use the responsibility and relationship of friends as a framework to foster collaborative efforts to increase readiness and decrease barriers to helping behavior. As part of this, the FMI will focus on the identification and implementation of skills friends can use to help one another prevent sexual assault. FMI will include a focused discussion of the ways drinking may impede helping efforts. Moreover, the FMI will encourage women to identify personal, specific strategies for reducing the effects of alcohol on helping.

Friends-Based Motivational Interview (FMI) Group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 24 Years
• Sex: female
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Female dyads who go out together at least once a week
• Undergraduates enrolled in a 4-year college or university
• Meet heavy episodic drinking (HED) criteria, 4 or more drinks in a single sitting, 2 or more times monthly

You may not qualify if:

• Not Applicable

Sponsors & Collaborators

• State University of New York at Buffalo: lead
• National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA): collaborator

Study Sites (1)

University at Buffalo Department of Psychology

Buffalo, New York, 14260, United States

Location

Related Publications (1)

• Read JP, Livingston JA, Shaw RJ, Wiseblatt AF, Jenzer T, DiPaolo LR, Mastroleo NR, Katz J, Testa M, Colder CR. The power of friends in reducing sexual assault risk in college women: A preliminary test of dyad-based motivational intervention approach. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2024 Dec;92(12):814-827. doi: 10.1037/ccp0000925.

  PMID: 39715424 DERIVED

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Alcohol Drinking in College

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Alcohol Drinking; Drinking Behavior; Behavior

Results Point of Contact

• Title: Jennifer Read, PhD.
• Organization: University at Buffalo

jpread@buffalo.edu

(716) 645-0193

Study Officials

• Jennifer P Read, Ph.D.

  University at Buffalo

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Publication Agreements

• PI is Sponsor Employee: No
• Restrictive Agreement: No

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Principal Investigator

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: December 11, 2020
• First Posted: December 31, 2020
• Study Start: July 15, 2021
• Primary Completion: September 16, 2022
• Study Completion: September 16, 2022
• Last Updated: November 14, 2024
• Results First Posted: November 14, 2024

Record last verified: 2024-10

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Shared Documents: STUDY PROTOCOL, SAP, ICF, CSR, ANALYTIC CODE
• Time Frame: The data will become available in December 2021 and will be available until 2026.
• Access Criteria: There must be an articulation of a clear research question and analytic plan by an established investigator with the relevant credentials. The information will be shared as a digital file through email.

Locations

US (1)