The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the prevention program Kapot Sterk is effective.
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).
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
220
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.
Utrecht University
Utrecht, Netherlands
Self-esteem
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.
Time frame: 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).
Self-control
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.
Time frame: 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).
Peer pressure
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.
Time frame: 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).
Externalizing behavior
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.
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Time frame: baseline (T0) and at 3 months post-program (T2).
Perceived social support from parents, friends, and significant others
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.
Time frame: 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).
Knowledge of youth work
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.
Time frame: 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).