At Risk for Criminal Behavior
Conditions
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).
Interventions
BEHAVIORALKapot Sterk (translate as Incredibly Strong)
The program consists of five lessons of approximately 60 minutes long, delivered over a period of four to eight weeks. The lessons are facilitated by trained pedagogical staff (e.g., youth workers), while the school's own teachers are always present during the sessions. Lessons include active learning strategies such as role-playing, group discussions, and reflection exercises, often based on realistic and recognizable scenarios. The program focuses on strengthening key social-emotional skills, such as self-esteem, self-control, and resistance to peer pressure.
Sponsors
Marit van de Mheen
Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement
VU University of Amsterdam
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Intervention model description
A cluster RCT will be used to determine the effectiveness of the program Incredibly Strong. Within each school, classes will be randomly assigned to either the experimental group, in which the program starts as soon as possible, or to a waitlist control group, which starts after the follow-up period (three months). Randomization to either the experimental or control group will take place using a computerized randomization in a 1:1 ratio. Classes in the waitlist control group receive the program approximately 5 months later, but still within the same school year, allowing all classes to receive the program.
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
10 Years to 13 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
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.
Exclusion criteria
\- Participants are younger than 10 years old or older than 13 years old.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
Countries
Netherlands
Contacts
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORJessica J Asscher, PhD.
Utrecht University
Outcome results
None listed