Stephan Thomsen, joint with Daniel Seddig, Laura Barz, Thomas Bliesener, Farina Ruehs, and Daria Schauten, has published the paper "Evaluation of a Social Media Campaign for the Prevention of Intimate Partner Violence" in the Journal of Experimental Criminology (online first). Open Access via the link.
Objective: A digital social media prevention campaign in Germany aimed to raise awareness of intimate partner violence (IPV) among adolescents and young adults. Video podcasts featured IPV victims sharing their experiences alongside expert commentary, highlighting warning signs and offering advice on physical and psychological abuse. Short clips were evaluated to assess their impact on IPV-related knowledge, attitudes, and intentions to act.
Methods: A randomized experimental survey was conducted with two waves (wave 1: N = 1,973; wave 2: N = 772). Causal effects were estimated by comparing latent variable means between the control and experimental groups, and by examining changes over time using a latent difference-in-differences approach.
Results: In some groups, watching the videos improved knowledge of psychological IPV and increased intentions to seek help or contact police. Partial attitudinal shifts occurred between waves.
Conclusions: Targeted IPV video interventions that deliver key messages both verbally and visually can have moderate short-term effects on knowledge and intentions, with delayed impacts on attitudes.
Seddig, D., Bartz, L., Bliesener, T. et al. Evaluation of a social media campaign for the prevention of intimate partner violence. J Exp Criminol (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11292-025-09723-3
About the journal (from publisher's webpage):
The Journal of Experimental Criminology focuses on high quality experimental and quasi-experimental research in the advancement of criminological theory and/or the development of evidence based crime and justice policy. The journal is also committed to the advancement of the science of systematic reviews and experimental methods in criminology and criminal justice. The journal seeks empirical papers on experimental and quasi-experimental studies, systematic reviews on substantive criminological and criminal justice issues, and methodological papers on experimentation and systematic review. The journal encourages submissions from scholars in the broad array of scientific disciplines that are concerned with criminology as well as crime and justice problems.
