www.PeaceTest.org: Development, Implementation, and Evaluation of a Web-Based War-Prevention Program in a Time of War
| Autor: | Donaji Stelzig, Brian H. Howard, Alfred L. McAlister, Ross Shegog, Jeannie Grussendorf, Laura J. Benjamins |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2007 |
| Předmět: |
021110 strategic
defence & security studies 030505 public health Sociology and Political Science business.industry Applied psychology 0211 other engineering and technologies Poison control Human factors and ergonomics Resistance (psychoanalysis) 02 engineering and technology Suicide prevention 03 medical and health sciences Intervention (counseling) Political Science and International Relations Web application Medicine The Internet 0305 other medical science business Safety Research Social psychology Moral disengagement |
| Zdroj: | Journal of Peace Research. 44:559-571 |
| ISSN: | 1460-3578 0022-3433 |
| DOI: | 10.1177/0022343307080855 |
| Popis: | Collective violence is a major cause of death, illness, and suffering. The theory of moral disengagement offers a framework for understanding and preventing violence between nations, and the Internet provides a vehicle for reaching a diverse population with a war-prevention program. The objectives of the PeaceTest project were to develop, implement, and evaluate a theory-based interactive website to be used as a war-prevention intervention for a general audience. The open-access site www.PeaceTest.org is an intervention to increase visitors' resistance to the cognitive processes of moral disengagement through risk assessment and tailored remediation. Evaluation of the program used a single-group pre-test—posttest design involving self-reported attitudes toward the use of military force. From 13 May to 15 September 2004, the site recorded 7,521 self-selected visitors from around the world; 5,702 (76%) completed the pre-test, and 338 (6%) of these completed the post-test. The intervention effect was examined using paired t-tests. A majority of respondents (75%) recorded PeaceTest scores indicating they were at risk of moral disengagement. Women, medical/public health students, older visitors, and non-US visitors showed significantly greater resistance to moral disengagement than other demographic groups ( p < 0.01). Resistance increased significantly among those who took the post-test ( p < 0.01), especially among women. The number, predisposition, and characteristics of respondents were strongly affected by efforts to promote the site and by the site's launching at a time of intense public sentiment about the US-led war in Iraq. The authors conclude that the PeaceTest project demonstrated the potential to produce change in war-promoting attitudes in an unrestricted population, though findings must be interpreted in the light of study-design limitations. Controversy and publicity can briefly generate a large audience, but that audience may arrive with strong predispositions. Gaining widespread acceptance and use of a web-based public-health approach to war prevention remains a worthwhile challenge. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
|