Gender-based violence (GBV) is a public health issue that affects not only
victims and perpetrators, but also society as a whole. According to the
social-ecological perspective, both individual psychological variables and
social dimensions influence and bias perceptions of GBV, but evidence
based interventions aimed at preventing GBV are still lacking. The present
study reports the evaluation of a participatory training conducted with
adolescents. Specifically, the main psychosocial dimensions related to
GBV - such as sexist stereotypes, rape myths, the issue of control and
power in intimate relationships, and the recognition of different forms of
harassment as actual violence - were addressed during the training
intervention using participatory methodologies. Participants were about
250 adolescents and were involved in eight training sessions. The research
included the administration of a questionnaire before the training (T0,
autumn 2024) and a questionnaire at the end of the training (T1, spring
2025). A control group of the same age and attending the same schools as
the experimental subjects was also included. The questionnaire
investigated the psychosocial dimensions reported above in relation to the
perception of GBV.
In terms of the results, significant gender differences are expected at T0 in
the experimental group and at T0 and T1 in the control group. In line with
the literature, compared to girls, boys are expected to report higher levels
of sexism, rape myths endorsement, more favourable attitudes toward
control in intimate relationships, and lower levels of ability to recognise
GBV. Moreover, it is expected that between T0 and T1 the experimental
group will show a decrease in endorsement of sexist stereotypes and rape
myths, and an increase in the ability to recognise the more subtle forms of
GBV. The intervention should also improve the general well-being of
adolescents, as well as the sense of community in the classroom.