This powerful DVD made by young people illustrates scenarios of young people who are involved in violent and controlling relationships and how this affects their lives. The film acts as a tool to encourage debate and discussion and is designed to raise awareness of signs that a relationship may be becoming unhealthy or violent. The accompanying booklet is a guide for teachers and youth workers to run a workshop on dating violence and suggests points of discussion with the group. Allow approximately an hour and 20 minutes including discussion time before, in appropriate places in between and after the DVD is viewed.
Materials: The questionnaires
The young people filled in 3 questionnaires at 3 different time points. These assessed:
- attitudes about dating and violence in relationships
- how many young people were involved violent or controlling relationships.
- their intention to seek help if they knew someone who was involved such a relationship
- their knowledge about where they could get help
- their levels of depression, stress, self-esteem and suicidal ideation
The questionnaires were completed before (Time 1) and after (Time 2) the intervention to see whether the incidence of dating violence had reduced, attitudes had changed and related outcomes such as depression had improved. |
Information about the young people involved in the evaluation study
We recruited a varied sample of 551young people aged from 13- 18 from 4 schools, 2 colleges and 2 youth clubs in Surrey. |
| This included one international school, one boys school and one Church of England school. The sample consisted White British children (77%), Mixed Race children (5%), Black children (including Black British, Black Caribbean and Black African) (4.5%), Asian children (4.5%), European children (5%) and 4% of the young people were from other nationalities, (e.g. America, South Africa, Korea). |
Time 1: Before the intervention
The responses from the first questionnaire showed that many young people considered violence in a relationship to be understandable in certain circumstances. However, there were clear differences between certain group’s attitudes towards dating violence with boys and children who had experienced domestic violence tending to condone violence more readily. Those involved in violent relationships were also more likely to have a family member that experienced violence at home. This may have given young people a more ‘warped’ view of what kinds of behaviours are acceptable in a relationship. These responses showed a real need for the intervention. |
- A significant proportion of the sample thought it was understandable if men were violent to women if they nagged (19%), ‘pushed men too far’ (15.5%), flirted with other men (21%), two-timed their partner (25%) or dressed provocatively (13%).
- Many young people thought it was understandable if women were violent to men if they nagged (16%), ‘pushed women too far’ (36%), flirted with other women (27%) or two-timed their partner (32%).
- Female on male violence was generally considered more acceptable than male on female violence
- Young people who experienced violence at home or who had a family member involved in a violent relationship were significantly more likely to be in a violent relationship themselves and condoned the use of aggression more readily.
- Compared to those in non-violent relationships, young people involved in violent or controlling relationships were significantly more likely to feel suicidal and stressed. They were significantly more likely to act violently, drink alcohol and take drugs in response to stressful situations.
- Boys were significantly more reluctant than girls to say that they would seek help if they, or someone they knew, were involved in a violent relationship.
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Findings from the Evaluation
After the intervention Young People’s attitudes and behaviours significantly changed.
Time 2 After the intervention
There was an increase in those who thought violence was never acceptable and a rise in those who would tell someone if they or a friend were involved in such a relationship. They were also more likely to know where to go for help. Young people reported that they were less likely to take a controlling approach to knowing where their partner was when not with them and less likely to feel they had an automatic right to sex within a relationship. Students were also significantly less likely to try to justify violence in certain circumstances. |
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After the intervention. Comparing Time 1 (before) with Time 2 (after).
In Time 2 (after seeing the DVD and having the discussions):
The percentage of young people who agreed that Dating Violence is ‘never acceptable’ had risen by 11% (66% -77%)
The percentage of young people who said they would tell someone if they or a friend were in a violent relationship increased from 66% in Time 1 to 82% in Time 2.
Young people were far better informed on where to get help after the intervention (63% vs. 80%).
Fewer young people said they would hit someone in retaliation after the intervention than before. 15% vs. 9%
Young people were less likely to take a controlling approach to knowing where their partner was ‘whenever they weren’t with me’. 34% vs. 26%
Young people were less likely to agree with the statement ‘In a relationship you can have sex whenever you like’ 37% vs. 26%
They were significantly less likely to think that male on female violence and female on male violence is understandable in certain circumstances (using mean scores).
Comparing those who did not receive the intervention with those students who did receive the intervention .
There was a marked difference between the two groups in the percentage who agreed that it is justified if a woman or a man is hit because she or he is ‘two timing’ a partner, or if partners fail to give either men or women partners respect. These levels were far lower among the intervention group than among the group that had not received the intervention. Students who saw the DVD were almost half as likely to state that it is understandable if women are violent to men who flirt with other women |
Compared to the Control Group (CG) who did not receive the intervention, the group of young people who saw the DVD, named the Intervention Group (IG) were:
- Less likely to agree that ‘it is understandable if men are violent to women if they are two-timed (Intervention Group = 15.5%, Control Group = 28%*)
- Less likely to agree that ‘it is understandable if men are violent to women if women don’t give men respect’ (Intervention Group = 19%, Control Group = 29%*)
- Less likely to agree that ‘it is understandable if women are violent to men if they are two-timed’ (Intervention Group = 22%, control Group = 40%*)
- Less likely to agree that ‘it is understandable if women are violent to men if men don’t treat women with respect’ (Intervention Group = 19%, Control Group = 29%*
- Were less likely to agree that ‘it is understandable if women are violent to men if men flirt with other women (Intervention Group = 23%, Control Group = 40%)
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