PRIN PNRR P20223CMHP - RECOGNIZING AND COMBATING GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE AMONG ADOLESCENTS AND YOUNG ADULTS - Finanziamento dell’Unione Europea – NextGenerationEU – missione 4, componente 2, investimento 1.1 CUP D53D23020290001

Gender-based violence (GBV) is a public health issue that affects not only the victim and the offender, 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 research on these dimensions, as well as specific interventions aimed at raising awareness on violence and preventing it are still lacking. Therefore, this project conducted by Turin and Genoa Units will be inserted in this context involving adolescents and young adults - that are the most exposed but also the most receptive in a perspective of cultural change of future generations - adopting an interdisciplinary mixed-methods approach in three sequential studies. Study 1 will adopt a quali-quantitative methodology to examine representations and narratives of different forms of GBV, identify possible social and psychosocial variables, as well as the processes related to individual functioning that may affect recognition of GBV. For the quantitative protocol, 300 adolescents and 300 young adults will be recruited, while 40 adolescents and 40 young adults will participate in the interviews. The researchers will contact schools in the Genoa region to ensure adolescents participation and Departments at the University of Turin to ensure the inclusion of young adults. Study 2 will consist in a participatory training based on data obtained in Study 1. The intervention will focus on raising awareness on the different forms of GBV (especially those less recognised as abusive behavior in Study 1) and on the most relevant psychosocial variables and individual functioning processes related to GBV recognition. The training will be conducted in five high-school classes (N= about 125) and in five University laboratories in different disciplines (N= about 125). This study will have the aim to evaluate the effectiveness of the participatory training and it will be based on a longitudinal design, as both adolescents and young adults participants will be asked to fill in the same questionnaire they completed in Study 1. Study 3 will follow the approach of the participatory action research and will rely on the Photovoice method. Following the same recruitment criteria as in Study 1, 10 groups of adolescents and 10 groups of University students will take part in the research. In each group 8/9 people will be involved. The method of Photovoice will allow a critical reflection on the perception of GBV and will foster discussion about relevant actions to combat GBV. A final photographic exhibition will be realized improving the direct participation of stakeholders and citizenship to favor a reflection within the local communities. Taken together, these studies will allow the issue of GBV to be addressed from an innovative perspective, resulting from the intersection of different methodologies, as well as from the implementation of an approach focused on preventive intervention.