Evaluation of the Effect of the BOAT® Structured Prevention Program on Violence in Middle Schools

NCT06471413 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: RECHMPL22_0347 /UF 8352
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 5,400
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Violence has major consequences for the health and development of children and teenagers, even though it is commonplace, particularly in secondary schools. The team at the Centre Ressources pour les Intervenants auprès d'Auteurs de Violences Sexuelles Languedoc-Roussillon (CRIAVS-LR, CHU Montpellier) has created a BOite A ouTils to prevent sexual and gender-based violence: the BOAT, for professionals working with children and teenagers aged between 5 and 18. Structured around 5 themes and 4 age groups, the BOAT is very easy to use. The 134 intervention sheets have been validated and designed to target a risk factor (to be reduced) or a protective factor (to be developed) so that children do not become perpetrators or victims of violence.

Conditions

Students; Middle Schools; Prevention; Violence

Keywords

prevention; violence; middle schools; sexual violence; abuse; sexism; BOAT

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• changes in the incidence of violent behavior

  The incidence of violent behavior for each study period will be calculated by dividing the number of violent incidents observed in the school, by the number of schoolchildren monitored over the period (in person/year) in the same school.

  between the three years preceding the middle school's inclusion (period without intervention) and the three years following the start of the study (period with or without intervention, depending on the intervention arm)

Secondary Outcomes (5)

• Students' well-being, substance use, risky sexual behavior and suicidal behavior

  every year at the end of the school year during three year

• Teachers' perceived stress at work will be assessed using the PSS (Perceived Stress Scale) validated in French

  every year at the end of the school year during three year

• School climate will be assessed using an anonymous ICS (Indice of School Climate ) questionnary

  every year at the end of the school year during three year

• The frequency of disclosures of violence or abuse during interventions

  every year at the end of the school year during three year

• The number of reports (information of concern or alerts)

  every year at the end of the school year during three year

Study Arms (2)

Group BOAT +

The middle schools in the experimental group will benefit from the BOAT+ intervention, which involves training the school's educational team in the use of the BOAT®. Training is provided each year of the study to 5 members of the BOAT+ college educational team, in the form of e-learning supplemented by two half-day face-to-face sessions. Trained professionals will use the BOAT® in real-life ecological conditions, according to their needs and educational projects.

Other: The Prevention Toolbox : BOAT®

Group BOAT -

No intervention will be carried out in the colleges of the control group, except to inform parents and educational teams about the research. The educational teams will not be trained to use the BOAT when the study is set up. These middle schools will benefit from the same annual evaluations (school, students and educational teams) as the BOAT+ middle schools. If the effect of the BOAT® structured prevention program is positive, the educational teams in the control group (BOAT-) will receive training in the use of the BOAT® at the end of the study.

Interventions

The Prevention Toolbox : BOAT® OTHER

The Prevention Toolbox targets all forms of violence, but in particular sexual and gender-based violence, through 1 out of 5 themes (Relationships and sexuality) and 10 out of 34 sub-themes. The other 4 themes (Psychosocial skills, Respect and difference, From the virtual to the real, and Understanding and respect for the law) cover all the risk and protection factors for all types of violence.

Group BOAT +

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 13 Years - 17 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Population of students attending disadvantaged or very disadvantaged middle schools. 60 middle schools will take part in the study, representing a total of 5,400 pupils (one class of ninth graders selected at random per year and per school).

You may qualify if:

• Middle school students: students enrolled in a middle school included in the study, enrolled in the fourth or ninth grade and randomly selected to participate in the research. The age of a fourth or ninth grader is between 13 and 17.
• Educational team: professionals and teachers working in a middle school participating in the research (included in the study).

You may not qualify if:

• Schoolchildren: opposition to participation in the search by the child's parents (or one of the 2 parents with parental authority) and/or opposition by the child.
• Educational team: opposition to participation in the search.
• Person unable to speak French
• Person unable to understand the nature, purpose and methodology of the study

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University Hospital, Montpellier: lead

Study Sites (1)

CHU de MONTPELLIER

Montpellier, 34090, France

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Sexism

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Prejudice; Social Behavior; Behavior; Social Discrimination

Central Study Contacts

Mathieu LACAMBRE, PH

CONTACT

0467338577; m-lacambre@chu-montpellier.fr

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: OTHER
• Time Perspective: PROSPECTIVE
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: June 18, 2024
• First Posted: June 24, 2024
• Study Start: April 2, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): June 1, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): September 1, 2027
• Last Updated: August 24, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-08

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

FR (1)