This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Howard, B. H. Articles by McAlister, A. L. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

www.PeaceTest.org: Development, Implementation, and Evaluation of a Web-Based War-Prevention Program in a Time of War

Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research, University of Texas-Houston School of Public Health, brianhoward58{at}hotmail.com

Ross Shegog, PhD

Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research, University of Texas-Houston School of Public Health

Jeannie Grussendorf, PhD

Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research, University of Texas-Houston School of Public Health

Laura J. Benjamins, MD

Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research, University of Texas-Houston School of Public Health

Donaji Stelzig, MPH

Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research, University of Texas-Houston School of Public Health

Alfred L. McAlister, PhD

Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research, University of Texas-Houston School of Public Health

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.

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?