The Effectiveness of a Dutch Prevention Program on Social-emotional Skills and Juvenile Delinquency in Children
- Conditions
- At Risk for Criminal Behavior
- Registration Number
- NCT07147738
- Lead Sponsor
- Marit van de Mheen
- Brief Summary
The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the prevention program Kapot Sterk is effective.
- Detailed Description
Given the growing concerns about youth's involvement in criminal behavior, there is a strong need for effective interventions to prevent it. However, knowledge about the effectiveness of prevention programs for juveniles is currently lacking. Incredibly Strong (translate as Kapot Sterk) is a prevention program designed to improve self-esteem, self-control, and resistance to peer pressure among pupils in elementary schools. By enhancing these social-emotional skills, the program ultimately aims to reduce youths' vulnerability to recruitment and involvement in criminal activities. The effects of Incredibly Strong on juvenile delinquency and other life domains are investigated, using a randomized controlled trial (RCT).
Recruitment & Eligibility
- Status
- ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING
- Sex
- All
- Target Recruitment
- 220
Every pupil who meets the inclusion criteria for the intervention program can participate in the study. The program is for pupils in their last or second-to-last year of elementary school.
- Participants are 10-13 years old.
- Participants attend school.
- Participants are younger than 10 years old or older than 13 years old.
Study & Design
- Study Type
- INTERVENTIONAL
- Study Design
- PARALLEL
- Primary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Self-esteem baseline (T0), immediately after the program ended for the intervention group (or after the waiting period for the control group) (T1), and at 3 months post-program (T2). will be measured using an instrument based on items from the Dutch version of the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), developed for a study with children aged 8-12 years. The instrument contains five items (e.g., "I think positively about myself"), rated on a 3-point scale ranging from 1 (not true) to 3 (definitely true). Higher scores reflect greater self-esteem.
Peer pressure baseline (T0), immediately after the program ended for the intervention group (or after the waiting period for the control group) (T1), and at 3 months post-program (T2). will be measured using ten items based on the Peer Pressure Scale (Sullivan, 2006). The original items have been translated into Dutch and adapted to reflect minor offenses typically committed by juveniles (e.g., "I feel pressure from my friends to steal something from a shop"). Items are rated on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (absolutely never) to 5 (very often). Higher scores indicate greater levels of experienced peer pressure.
Self-control baseline (T0), immediately after the program ended for the intervention group (or after the waiting period for the control group) (T1), and at 3 months post-program (T2). will be measured using five items based on the Brief Self-Control Scale (Tangney et al., 2004) (e.g., "I am good at saying no to things that are hard to resist"). Items are rated on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Items 3 and 4 will be reverse coded so that higher scores reflect higher self-control.
- Secondary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Perceived social support from parents, friends, and significant others baseline (T0), immediately after the program ended for the intervention group (or after the waiting period for the control group) (T1), and at 3 months post-program (T2). will be measured using the 12-item Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) (Zimet et al., 1990). Participants rate statements such as "I have a special person who is a real source of comfort to me" and "I can talk about my problems with my family" on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = very strongly disagree to 5 = very strongly agree). Higher scores indicate greater levels of experienced support.
Externalizing behavior baseline (T0) and at 3 months post-program (T2). will be measured using the externalizing behavior and delinquency subscales of the Youth Self-Report (YSR) (Verhulst \& Van der Ende, 1992). The instrument focuses on various externalizing behaviors, including aggression and delinquent behavior. The YSR includes items such as "I fight a lot", which are rated on a 3-point Likert scale ranging from 0 (never) to 2 (often). Higher scores on the YSR externalizing subscale indicate greater levels of externalizing behavior.
Knowledge of youth work baseline (T0), immediately after the program ended for the intervention group (or after the waiting period for the control group) (T1), and at 3 months post-program (T2). will be assessed using four questions. Participants are first asked, "How well do you know what youth work is?" Those who respond with "well" or "a little" are then prompted to describe, in their own words, what youth workers do. A similar procedure is followed for the question "How well do you know where to find youth workers?" Participants who indicate some level of knowledge are asked to specify where youth workers can be found.
Trial Locations
- Locations (1)
Utrecht University
🇳🇱Utrecht, Netherlands
Utrecht University🇳🇱Utrecht, Netherlands