Recognizing Emotional Neglect and Help-Seeking Intention Among Adolescents in Brussels
Trial statusRecruiting
Trial phaseNot applicable
Trial typeInterventional
Biological sexAll
Age11-25
SponsorVrije Universiteit Brussel
About this trial
The goal of this study is to find out how well adolescents in Dutch-speaking secondary schools in Brussels can recognize emotional neglect, and how this relates to their intention to seek help.
The main research questions are:
1. How well do adolescents recognize situations of emotional neglect, and do boys and girls differ in their recognition? 2. Does recognition of emotional neglect predict adolescents' intention to seek help?
This study is conducted through an online survey. Participants will read one of four short written stories about an adolescent experiencing emotional neglect. The stories vary by gender (boy or girl) and by the clarity of the neglect (clear or ambiguous). After reading, participants answer questions about the story, including their thoughts and how they might respond in a similar situation. They also answer questions about their own experiences and attitudes toward help-seeking.
Eligibility criteria
This trial accepts healthy volunteersQualifiers
Age: adolescents aged 11-25 years;
Education: enrolled in regular full-time secondary education;
School location: Brussels-Capital Region;
School language: Dutch;
Disqualifiers
Age: younger than 11 years or older than 25 years;
Education: not enrolled in regular full-time secondary education;
School location: outside the Brussels-Capital Region;
School language: non - Dutch-speaking;
Trial design
Design model
Parallel
Treatments tested in this trial
Emotional neglect vignettes
BehavioralParticipants are randomly assigned to one of four written vignettes of adolescents experiencing emotional neglect. Each vignette differs by gender (boy or girl) and by situation clarity (ambiguous or clear).
Treatment groups
500 Participants
are divided into 4 treatment groupsGroup A: boy x clear situationExperimental treatment 1 intervention
Group B: boy x ambiguous situationExperimental treatment 1 intervention
Group C: girl x ambiguous situationExperimental treatment 1 intervention
Group D: girl x clear situationExperimental treatment 1 intervention
Trial outcomes
Primary outcomes
1
Recognition of emotional neglect
Recognition is measured by asking participants to indicate whether emotional neglect is present in the vignette, using a 4-point Likert scale (1 = definitely not, 2 = probably not, 3 = probably yes, 4 = definitely yes). Higher scores indicate greater recognition of emotional neglect. Scores will be analyzed using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) with age as a covariate. Factors include participant gender (boy or girl), vignette gender (boy or girl), and type of situation (ambiguous or clear). Exploratory analyses may examine recognition of other types of maltreatment (physical abuse, physical neglect, emotional abuse, and sexual abuse).
Time frame
Immediately after reading the vignette2
Help-seeking intention
Help-seeking intention is measured by asking participants to indicate whether they would seek help in the situation described in the vignette, using a 4-point Likert scale (1 = definitely not, 2 = probably not, 3 = probably yes, 4 = definitely yes). Higher scores indicate greater intention to seek help. Scores will be analyzed using linear regression, with recognition as the independent variable and help-seeking intention as the dependent variable. Additional analyses will test whether perceived severity and anticipated risk of future harm moderate the relationship between recognition and help-seeking intention.
Time frame
Immediately after reading the vignetteSecondary outcomes
1
Severity
Severity is measured by asking participants to indicate how severe they perceived the situation described in the vignette, using a 4-point Likert scale (1 = not at all severe, 2 = not severe, 3 = severe, 4 = very severe). Higher scores indicate greater perceived severity.
Time frame
Immediately after reading the vignette2
Risk of future harm
Risk of future harm is measured by asking participants to estimate the probability that the adolescent in the vignette will experience future physical or emotional problems. Each type of problem is rated on a 6-point Likert scale (1 = no chance, 2 = very small chance, 3 = small chance, 4 = moderate chance, 5 = large chance, 6 = very large chance). Higher scores indicate greater anticipated risk of future harm.
Time frame
Immediately after reading the vignetteSponsors and contacts
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Source ClinicalTrials.gov