The Japanese Association of School Health

Original Article

ISSN ONLINE : 1880-2400

[School Health Vol.15, 34-42, 2019]

Web-based Education for Preventing Sexual Violence among Junior High School Students in Japan

Miyuki Nagamatsu*, Kenichi Hara**, Kiyoko Yano***, Kazuki Ota**** and Mitsuhiro Takasaki*****

  • *Maternal and Child Nursing, Japanese Red Cross Kyushu International College of Nursing
  • 1-1 Asty, Munakata-City, Fukuoka 811-4157 Japan
  • m-nagamatsu@jrckicn.ac.jp
  • **Saga Prefectural Center for General Countermeasure Against Domestic Violence
  • 3-2-11 Tenzin, Saga-City, Saga 840-0815 Japan
  • ***Faculty of Education, Shizuoka University
  • 836 Ohya Suruga-ku, Shizuoka-City, Shizuoka 422-8529 Japan
  • ****E & M Corporation
  • 3-1-1 Koji-machi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0083 Japan
  • *****Organization for General Education, Saga University
  • 5-1-1 Nabeshima, Saga-City, Saga 849-8501 Japan

[Received December 11, 2017 ; Accepted February 12, 2019]

Keywords:
violence, education, gender differences, sexuality

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Abstracts

Background: The World Health Organization has recognized intimate partner violence and sexual violence as significant international health and human rights issues, and has recommended strengthening preventive measures. These are serious human rights problems that need to be addressed as soon as possible. In Japan, there has been an increase in sexual violence that involves people who meet each other via the Internet.

Objective: This study was performed to investigate the influence of web-based education for preventing sexual violence among junior high school students in Japan.

Methods: From September 2015 to February 2016, we surveyed a total of 788 students aged 13 to 14 years at 10 junior high schools where the principals gave approval for this research. Group education concerning domestic violence was provided to all students. We investigated the usefulness of education for preventing sexual violence by web-based education. The attitude of participants to perpetration of physical and emotional violence was assessed, as well as utilization of healthy conflict resolution skills in peer and dating relationships of participants.

Results: A total of 730 students consented to participate in this study (valid response rate, 92.6%) before receiving group education, and 671 consented to the follow-up survey (valid response rate, 85.2%).Students who completed internet learning after group education (intervention group, n=305) were compared with those who did not participate in internet learning (control group, n=366). In boys, webbased education achieved improvement of attitudes to physical violence, other-oriented emotional reactivity (empathy), assertiveness, discussion with other individuals, and attack avoidance, while girls showed improvement of discussion with other individuals.

Conclusions: This study suggested that web-based education on prevention of sexual violence is effective for decreasing the occurrence of violence and increasing healthy conflict resolution.

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