Do Sexual Consent Workshops Promote more Positive Attitudes and Behavioural Intentions Toward Consent? A Randomised Control Trial Among College Students

Last registered on November 28, 2016

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Do Sexual Consent Workshops Promote more Positive Attitudes and Behavioural Intentions Toward Consent? A Randomised Control Trial Among College Students
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0001811
Initial registration date
November 28, 2016

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
November 28, 2016, 10:15 AM EST

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

Region

Primary Investigator

Affiliation
National University of Ireland, Galway

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Affiliation
National University of Ireland, Galway

Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2016-11-03
End date
2017-07-01
Secondary IDs
Abstract
Recent research indicates that prevalence rates of sexual assault on college campuses are on the rise, ranging from as a high as 13% - 30% (Cantor et al., 2015). Research has revealed that individuals frequently report that they communicate sexual consent by not resisting their partners sexual advances (Humphrey's & Muehlenhard, 1999) and prefer to assume consent rather than ask for it (Humphreys, 2007). Within an Irish context, previous reports indicate that college students believe that consent often represents a 'grey area' and that further consideration of the topic is warranted (MacNeela et al., 2014). This study draws on the findings from previous research and assesses whether a sexual consent workshop can promote more positive sexual consent attitudes and behavioural intentions among college students, in comparison to a control condition.
Approximately 400 students will be recruited from universities and colleges across Ireland. Consenting students from participating institutions are randomly allocated to either a two-hour sexual consent or a two-hour sexual health workshop. Attitudes toward consent and behavioural intentions to engage in consent behaviours are assessed in both groups at baseline (before students participate in the workshops). Participants' attitudes toward consent and behavioural intentions will also be assessed at a post-test evaluation, immediately after having completed the workshop, and again at a three-month follow-up, via an online questionnaire. Each workshop is delivered by a trained facilitator and a co-facilitator will assess the fidelity of each workshop. Following completion of the quantitative assessments, a sub-sample of participants from multiple institutions will be invited to take part in a focus group discussion. These focus groups will be carried out as part of a process evaluation in order to understand the mechanisms through which the workshops exerted their effects (if any) on students' attitudes and behavioural intentions and explore any unexpected outcomes.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
MacNeela, Padraig and Charlotte Silke. 2016. "Do Sexual Consent Workshops Promote more Positive Attitudes and Behavioural Intentions Toward Consent? A Randomised Control Trial Among College Students." AEA RCT Registry. November 28. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.1811-1.0
Former Citation
MacNeela, Padraig and Charlotte Silke. 2016. "Do Sexual Consent Workshops Promote more Positive Attitudes and Behavioural Intentions Toward Consent? A Randomised Control Trial Among College Students." AEA RCT Registry. November 28. https://www.socialscienceregistry.org/trials/1811/history/12089
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
College students from participating institutions around Ireland are recruited to this research. Participants are randomly allocated into either a control or intervention condition. Participants in both conditions are asked to complete a baseline measure assessing their attitudes toward consent and their behavioural intentions to engage in consent behaviours during future acts of intimacy. Participants are also asked to disclose some demographic information, including age, gender, sexual orientation and relationship status. Once participants have completed the (Pre-Test) baseline questionnaire the experimental manipulation commences. Participants in the intervention group are asked to take-part in a two-hour workshop discussing sexual consent issues. This interactive workshop facilitates group discussion relating to the definition of consent, perceptions of consent in hypothetical situations and the 'grey area' of consent. The workshop also provides normative feedback and statistical information from previous research assessing Irish students' attitudes toward consent. Participants in the Control condition are asked to participate in a sexual health workshop. This interactive workshop was designed to promote discussion on positive sexual health and increase knowledge about the prevalence, prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Both workshops are delivered by trained facilitators and last for approximately 120 minutes. Students complete these workshops in groups of 10-20. Intervention fidelity is assessed by a trained co-facilitator. Once participants have completed the workshop they are asked to complete a second questionnaire assessing their behavioural intentions and attitudes toward consent (Post-Test). Participants are asked to complete this measure for a third time at a 3-month follow-up assessment.

Following completion of the follow-up quantitative assessments, a sub-sample of participants from multiple institutions will be asked to take part in a focus group. These focus groups will be carried out as part of a process evaluation in order to understand the mechanisms through which the workshops exerted their effects (if any) on students' attitudes and behavioural intentions and explore any unexpected outcomes of the intervention.
Intervention Start Date
2016-11-03
Intervention End Date
2017-03-01

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
1. Does participation in a sexual consent workshop promote more positive attitudes toward consent at post-test and follow-up, relative to a control condition?

2. Does participation in a sexual consent workshop promote more positive behavioural intentions toward engaging in consent behaviours at post-test and follow-up, relative to a control condition?

3. Do social norms mediate the relationship between Intervention condition and the expected outcomes?

4. Does the process evaluation reveal any unexpected mechanisms of change or outcomes?
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
This research employs a randomised controlled design. Participants are randomly assigned to either a sexual health or sexual consent condition. Assessments are collected over three time periods: Baseline (Immediately before workshop commencement), Post-Test (Immediately following completion of the workshop) and Follow-up (Three months following completion of the workshop). A follow-up multi-site qualitative assessment will also be carried out with a sub-sample of participants to assess the mechanisms of change in the Intervention, as well as to explore any unexpected outcomes.
Experimental Design Details
This research employs a randomised controlled design. Participants are randomly assigned to either a sexual health or sexual consent condition. Assessments are collected over three time periods: Baseline (Immediately before workshop commencement), Post-Test (Immediately following completion of the workshop) and Follow-up (Three months following completion of the workshop). A follow-up multi-site qualitative assessment will also be carried out with a sub-sample of participants to assess the mechanisms of change in the Intervention, as well as to explore any unexpected outcomes.
Randomization Method
Participants are randomised to each condition using an online random number generator.
Randomization Unit
Participants are randomised to each condition at an individual level using a block randomisation method.
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
Based on an a priori power analysis, 400 college students from participating third level institutions will be recruited to this study.
Sample size: planned number of observations
Based on an a priori power analysis, 400 college students from participating third level institutions will be recruited to this study.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
Approximately 200 male and female participants will be recruited to the control (sexual health) condition and approximately 200 will be recruited to the intervention (sexual consent) condition.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
An effect size of .25 is expected at the p < .05 level, based on a sample size of 400 with .95 power.
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Research Ethics Committee, National University of Ireland Galway
IRB Approval Date
2016-01-08
IRB Approval Number
2016/01/08

Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
No
Data Collection Complete
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

Program Files

Program Files
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Reports & Other Materials