Maria Catrina D. Jaime

Athletic Coaches as Violence Prevention Advocates

Adolescent relationship abuse (ARA) is a significant public health problem. Coaching Boys Into Men (CBIM) is an evidence-based ARA prevention program that trains coaches to deliver violence prevention messages to male athletes. Assessing acceptability and impact of CBIM on coaches may inform prevention efforts that involve these important adults in health promotion among youth. As part of a two-armed cluster-randomized controlled trial of CBIM in 16 high schools in Northern California, coaches completed baseline and postseason surveys (n = 176) to assess their attitudes and confidence delivering the program. Coaches in the intervention arm also participated in interviews (n = 36) that explored program acceptability, feasibility, and impact. Relative to controls, intervention coaches showed increases in confidence intervening when witnessing abusive behaviors among their athletes, greater bystander intervention, and greater frequency of violence-related discussions with athletes and other coaches. Coaches reported the program was easy to implement and valuable for their athletes. Findings illustrate the value of exploring attitudinal and behavioral changes among ARA prevention implementers, and suggest that coaches can gain confidence and enact behaviors to discourage ARA among male athletes. Coaches found the program to be feasible and valuable, which suggests potential for long-term uptake and sustainability.

Exploring the Potential for Changing Gender Norms Among Cricket Coaches and Athletes in India

This study explored gender norms with cricket coaches and athletes in India to adapt a coach-delivered gender violence prevention program from the United States for the urban Indian context. Interviews and focus groups conducted among coaches and adolescent cricketers highlight the extent to which coaches and athletes articulate prevailing inequitable notions about gender and recognition of the power coaches wield. Adapting a violence prevention program that emphasizes gender norms change may be feasible with Indian cricket coaches but is likely to require attention to defining gender equity and challenging cultural assumptions with coaches prior to implementing the program with athletes.

Use of a Respondent-Generated Personal Code for Matching Anonymous Adolescent Surveys in Longitudinal Studies

PURPOSE Research on sensitive and private topics relies heavily on self-reported responses. Social desirability bias may reduce the accuracy and reliability of self-reported responses. Anonymous surveys appear to improve the likelihood of honest responses. A challenge with prospective research is maintaining anonymity while linking individual surveys over time. METHODS We have tested a secret code method in which participants create their own code based on eight questions that are not expected to change. RESULTS In an ongoing middle school trial, 95.7% of follow-up surveys are matched to a baseline survey after changing up to two-code variables. The percentage matched improves by allowing up to four changes (99.7%). CONCLUSIONS The use of a secret code as an anonymous identifier for linking baseline and follow-up surveys is feasible for use with adolescents. While developed for violence prevention research, this method may be useful with other sensitive health behavior research.

Community Partnered Research Ethics Training in Practice A Collaborative Approach to Certification

This report describes the development and implementation of a tailored research ethics training for academic investigators and community research partners (CRP). The Community Partnered Research Ethics Training (CPRET) and Certification is a free and publicly available model and resource created by a university and community partnership to ensure that traditional and non-traditional research partners may study, define, and apply principles of human subjects’ research. To date, seven academic and 34 CRP teams have used this highly interactive, engaging, educational, and relationship building process to learn human subjects’ research and be certified by the University of Pittsburgh Institutional Review Board (IRB). This accessible, flexible, and engaging research ethics training process serves as a vehicle to strengthen community and academic partnerships to conduct ethical and culturally sensitive research.

Implementing a coach-delivered dating violence prevention program with high school athletes

Teen dating violence and sexual violence are severe public health problems. Abusive behaviors within the context of dating or romantic relationships are associated with adverse health outcomes. Promoting positive bystander intervention and increasing knowledge of abusive behaviors are promising strategies for preventing dating and sexual violence. Coaching Boys Into Men (CBIM) is an evidence-based, athletic coach-delivered dating violence prevention program that has been shown to increase positive bystander behaviors and reduce abuse perpetration among high school male athletes. Identifying specific barriers and facilitators based on the coaches’ experiences with program delivery combined with the coaches’ and athletes’ program perceptions may help optimize future CBIM implementation and sustainability. Semi-structured interviews with coaches (n = 36) explored the implementers’ perspectives on strategies that worked well and potential barriers to program implementation. Ten focus groups with male athletes (n = 39) assessed their experiences with CBIM and the suitability of having their coaches deliver this program. Coaches described using the CBIM training cards and integrating program delivery during practice. Athletes reported coaches routinely delivering the CBIM program and adding their own personal stories or examples to the discussions. Key facilitators to program implementation include support from the violence prevention advocate, the ease of integrating CBIM into the sports season, and using the program materials. Barriers to implementation included finding sufficient time for the program, dynamics of delivering sensitive program content, and participant constraints. Coaches and athletes alike found the program feasible and acceptable to implement within the sports setting. Both coaches and athletes offered insights on the implementation and the feasibility and acceptability of CBIM within school-based athletic programs. These experiences by implementers and recipients alike can inform future dissemination and implementation efforts of CBIM. Further, by pinpointing where and how coaches were successful in implementing the program and what resonated with athletes, can help better understand how CBIM is effective in promoting athletes to stop violence against women and girls. Coach and athlete reflections on CBIM implementation provide insights for optimizing future program delivery and dissemination.

Abortion and student health services expanding the conversation with student perspectives

OBJECTIVE College students are known to experience unintended pregnancy and seek abortions. However, few student health centers currently offer abortion services. In this exploratory study, we aimed to expand understanding of student perspectives regarding on-campus abortion services. STUDY DESIGN We invited UC Davis students to complete an anonymous web-based survey using 16 campus listservs and in-person recruitment. We elicited student knowledge of and opinions about on-campus Student Health and Counseling Services (SHCS) with 29 questions. RESULTS The 502 participating students primarily identified as female (80%) and heterosexual (86%); most (90%) were undergraduates. In the past year, 9% of female respondents had used emergency contraception (EC), and 9% had sought clinic-based pregnancy testing. Only 68% of respondents were aware that SHCS provides EC. Although SHCS has not yet offered abortions, 24% of respondents believed that SHCS currently offers medication abortion and 13% believed that SHCS clinicians perform abortion procedures. Most respondents (64%) believed that SHCS should offer abortion services; 12% of respondents felt SHCS should not. Reasons for support of on-campus abortion services included the need to compassionately care for campus survivors of sexual assault and abortions role in allowing students facing undesired pregnancy to complete their education. Reasons for opposition included concerns regarding SHCSs ability to offer high-quality abortion services, the potential for controversy related to on-campus abortion services and personal opposition to abortion. CONCLUSION Most responding students favor on-campus abortion services, and a number of students incorrectly believe that abortion services are currently offered on the UC Davis campus. IMPLICATIONS Student health centers should offer medication abortion on campus.

“Coaching Boys into Men”: A Social Norms Change Approach to Sexual Violence Prevention

This chapter discusses a specific and promising school and community-based prevention intervention—the Coaching Boys into Men (CBIM) program. CBIM trains athletic coaches to talk with their adolescent male athletes about respect, nonviolence, healthy relationships, and positive bystander behaviors with the goal of reducing sexual and dating violence. Findings from rigorous evaluation studies of this program highlight the importance of addressing social norms change and gender equity in sexual violence prevention efforts.