Evaluation of the lights4violence program: reduction in machismo and acceptance of violence among adolescents in Europe

Abstract

Background: Machismo and acceptance of violence (AV) against women are part of the social construction of hegemonic masculinity and are related to the risk of dating violence. This study aims to analyze the efectiveness of the Lights4Violence program in reducing machismo and AV in secondary school students from diferent European cities. Methods: Quasi-experimental longitudinal study using a convenience sample of 1,146 high school students from diferent European cities (12–17 years old) including 575 intervention group students (59.1% girls) and 571 control group students (62.7% girls). We performed linear regression models to identify the efect of the intervention, modelling the diference in means in machismo and AV (dependent variables) between wave-2 and wave-1. Results: An interaction was identifed between the group variable and the empathy variable. In wave-2, girls with high empathy at baseline in the intervention group obtained lower mean AV scores (β: -0.131; p=0.004). However, the boys in the intervention group (reference: control group) with low empathy at baseline registered a signifcant increase in the mean values of machismo (β: 0.247; p<0.001). Conclusion: The importance of empathy is shown in the efectiveness of interventions to reduce machismo and AV in adolescents. While the Lights4Violence program focuses on promoting healthy relationships, there were some controversial results. It is possible that some children, especially those with less empathy, may have felt “challenged” during the intervention and/or assessment. This suggests the need for the development of interventions that also consider psychological processes and integrate the promotion of positive expressions of masculinity.