Dating Café Ambassadors Programme: A Bystander Education Programme to Prevent Dating Violence in Hong Kong

Hong Kong was the median city with prevalence of physical victimization being 25.6% and sexual coercion being 13% among dating partners in university campus.  The study also found 37.7% of university students in Hong Kong reported suicidal ideation, which was above average among 32 countries.  The high prevalence of dating violence and severity of suicidal ideation among university students in Hong Kong accentuate the need to tackle dating violence by interventions specifically targeting the Chinese population.

Purpose:

The Dating Café Ambassadors Programme is evaluated in this pilot study.  The programme is the first to provide evidence on dating violence prevention program addressing local needs.  

Methods:

Twenty Chinese university students were recruited and joined Dating Café Ambassador Programme in Hong Kong.  They underwent a face-to-face 7.5 hours training program (3 weekly sessions, 2.5 hours per session) that based on Ajzen’s Theory of Planned Behaviors.  Four modified real dating violence stories were used in the training session to enhance the relevance, appropriateness, and acceptability of the program.  Apart from training, homework was assigned as practical application.  Pre and post-test were conducted for outcome measurements.   

Results:

The results showed that the Dating Café Ambassadors Programme enhanced the behavioural intention of students to help peers experiencing dating violence.

Conclusion:

The programme was feasible and acceptable to the university students.