NCT03950128

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

Healthy Relationships Training Study: Comparing the Efficacy of a Mindfulness-Based Skills Training to a Psychoeducational Intervention at Reducing Dating Violence on College Campuses

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 88 (actual)
• Sponsor: Kent State University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

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

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Mindfulness-Based Skills Training (MBST)	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.
BEHAVIORAL	Psychoeducational	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.

Timeline

• Start date: 2018-02-05
• Primary completion: 2018-12-02
• Completion: 2018-12-02
• First posted: 2019-05-15
• Last updated: 2019-05-15

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States