A Game-based Intervention – a technical tool for social workers to combat Adolescent Dating-Violence

Abstract

Dating violence prevalence is increasing and effective prevention and intervention methods are needed in order to adress this growing social problem. The use of on-line game-based intervention programmes open ups new possibilities for social worker practice of interventions on a large scale. The purpose of this study was to examine young people´s experiences of a on line game-based intervention programme designed to adress dating-violence among youths. Swedish youths that took part in the intervention programme were interviewed in focus-groups. Results indicate that the use of a game as an intervention method for this socially sensitive topic was perceived as positive by the young people, seeing it as a new, engaging and interesting method. The findings from the study indicate that on-line game-based programme addressing dating violence between young people has the potential to be used as a technical tool in social work practice.