Sexual Abuse Prevention Programs Research Articles

Boundaries Beyond the Bathing Suit

A literature review and analysis evaluating how the practices of Intimacy Choreography support the aims of one of the Catholic Church's sexual abuse prevention programs collectively called VIRTUS. This article defines scenarios of legally unacceptable risk (high stakes) as well as legally acceptance risk (low stakes) and how the tools of Intimacy Choreography (Theatrical Intimacy Education, in particular) and VIRTUS both aim to establish and uphold boundaries, but in different capacities. This article compares the tools of each area, and makes an argument for how Intimacy Choreography's consent-based practices are a good for Catholic diocesan schools' theatre programs that utilize VIRTUS training.

The effectiveness of school-based child sexual abuse prevention programmes among primary school-aged children: A systematic review

This systematic review provides a comprehensive overview of child sexual abuse prevalence globally, along with an examination of the effectiveness of school-based prevention education programmes for primary school-aged children. These prevention programmes utilise social cognitive learning theories to teach children the importance of identifying and responding to abusive situations. A total of 676 papers were evaluated with 13 Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) or cluster RCT design studies identified as meeting the study's inclusion criteria. These studies were published in English between January 2000 and May 2022, and focus on outcomes of school-based prevention programmes designed for primary school-aged children (5–12 years old). To ensure a comprehensive and academically rigorous analysis, the following databases were included: Science Direct, Web of Science, Scopus, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) PsycINFO, Ovid Medline, and Embase. The studies reviewed aim to evaluate the effectiveness of various child sexual abuse prevention programmes in improving children's knowledge and recognition of, and response to potentially unsafe situations. In terms of outcomes and results, the interventions have significantly impacted knowledge, skills, confidence, and awareness in the short and long term. These studies used different intervention methods, including mobile applications, personal safety programmes, and protective behaviour programmes, delivered in various formats such as web-based, textbooks, and in-person sessions. This systematic review highlights the importance of child sexual abuse prevention programmes in schools and the need for further research.

Engaging Parents in Child-Focused Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Education Strategies: A Systematic Review.

Parents are their children's first teachers and there are long-standing calls for their involvement in child sexual abuse prevention. In this rapid systematic review, we asked the following questions: what rationales are used to justify parental involvement in child-focused child sexual abuse (CSA) prevention programs? what approaches are used for parental engagement in child-focused CSA prevention programs? and what are the facilitators and barriers to parental involvement in child-focused CSA prevention programs? We searched CINAHL, Cochrane, ERIC, Medline, PsycInfo, Scopus, and SocINDEX in May 2021. A total of 57 papers met our inclusion criteria, comprised of 50 empirical studies, and 7 program descriptions. Rationales for parental involvement included monitoring and shaping parental attitudes toward CSA program delivery in schools; reinforcing children's learning at home; promoting parent-child communication about CSA prevention; building parent capacity to respond to child disclosures; and supporting program delivery for preschoolers. Types of parental involvement included the following: communication, learning at home, volunteering, decision-making, and collaboration with the community. Barriers to parent involvement included ineffective program engagement modalities, and parental fears and misconceptions.

Reluctance to Make a “Blind Faith Jump”: LGBTQ+ College Students’ Perspectives on Allies’ Barriers to Preventing Sexual Assault

ABSTRACT Campus sexual assault is a significant problem across the United States, and research has indicated LGBTQ+ students are at a greater risk of victimization than their straight-cisgender peers. Furthermore, LGBTQ+ students face unique barriers to help-seeking following an assault, including fear of stigmatizing the LGBTQ+ community. We propose that straight-cisgender allies may act as vigilant bystanders who notice signs of sexual assault and offer assistance to prevent assault from happening to LGBTQ+ students and/or to offer support after an assault occurs. Yet, research on the role of bystanders in preventing and alleviating sexual assault has largely overlooked experiences and perspectives of LGBTQ+ students. In this study, we explored LGBTQ+ students’ perceptions of the roles straight-cisgender allies may play in alleviating the problem of sexual assault of LGBTQ+ students. We conducted group interviews with 30 LGBTQ+ college students from 19 campuses across the United States, paying attention to what they perceived as barriers to allies’ help. Findings illustrate ways that boundaries between LGBTQ+ insiders and outsiders can leave both groups reluctant to make a “blind faith jump” to seek or offer help. We propose suggestions for how sexual assault prevention programming may bridge this gap between LGBTQ+ students and straight-cisgender allies.

Assessment of Effectiveness of School-Based Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Programs: A Meta-Analysis

Assessment of Effectiveness of School-Based Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Programs: A Meta-Analysis

Blaming the Victim, the Bystander, the Perpetrator, or the Institution: Student Allocation of Responsibility for Sexual Assault when Programming Hypothetically Varies

ABSTRACT Guided by theories of socialization and just policy theory, we explore how students allocate blame when sexual assault prevention programming hypothetically varies, net of the effects of evaluators’ traits. Using a survey instrument containing a series of vignettes, we ask whether university students’ (N = 254) perceptions of responsibility attributed to victims, perpetrators, bystanders, and university administrators varies by hypothetical program trainee and also by the hypothetical implementation of any program versus no program. Findings indicate that students allocate more blame to bystanders and perpetrators when hypothetical programming includes bystander training but that programs that train victims are not associated with increased victim blaming. Administrators are blamed less when bystander intervention is included in programming. However, compared to when no training is hypothetically implemented, students allocate more blame to victims and bystanders when any programming is present and less to administrators. Among respondent-level controls, victim blaming is consistently predicted by evaluators’ rape myth acceptance. Implications for future work, theoretical development, and policy are discussed.

Peer-Led Groups in Sexual Assault Prevention Programming: Myth Adherence and Self-Defense Efficacy within Gender and Race

Participants ( n = 520) in a study of two on-campus peer-led sexual assault prevention programs focused on bystander intervention and risk reduction were assessed. This study focused on myth reduction, as well as self-defense self-efficacy. Demographics allowed for within-group comparisons along gender and race. Among men who attended Bro Code, Black men had significantly lower sexual assault myth adherence on many rape myths than the control group, not true of white men. Those women who attended Girls Night Out (GNO) had significantly lower sexual assault myth adherence than the control group. While greater reductions in myth adherence were seen in white women than among Black women, Black women had significantly lower overall sexual assault myth adherence (in both control and sample). As a side note, we found that women who attended GNO had lower general intimate partner violence myth acceptance in addition to lower sexual assault myth acceptance, with some variation on individual myths. Finally, those women who attended self-defense training were significantly more likely to endorse self-defense self-efficacy. Results were then explored through the lens of cultural, gender, intersectional, and community-based contexts. Future research needs and implications are discussed.

Correlates of College Women's Sexual Assault Resistance Self-Efficacy.

Studies suggest that actively fighting back against an attacker is effective in decreasing the severity and completion of a sexual assault, yet little is known about the factors that contribute to women's confidence in fighting back. Accordingly, the present study examines correlates of college women's self-efficacy in resisting unwanted sexual advances (N = 650). Results suggest that fewer psychological barriers to resistance, greater sexual communication, increased use of dating self-protective behaviors, and greater sexual assertiveness were associated with increased sexual resistance self-efficacy. Findings underscore the importance of developing sexual assault prevention programs that increase women's confidence in fighting back.

It’s More Than a Matter of Trust: What Parents and Young Children Need to Know to Prevent Intrafamilial Child Sexual Abuse

ABSTRACT Programs aimed at preventing child sexual abuse typically focus on skilling up young children and, to a lesser extent, parents by imparting a range of protective messages. Many sexual abuse prevention programs include a focus on identifying or vetting “safe” or “trustworthy” people. The authors qualitatively analyzed the content of narratives from individuals with childhood experience of intrafamilial sexual abuse, an under-represented voice in the development of child sexual abuse prevention programs. The analysis of impediments to protection indicated that, within the family context, reductionistic judgments of familiar individuals’ perceived safety or trustworthiness impaired child safety. In addition to adults and children being unable to recognize sexually abusive behavior and warning signs, child-victim survivor narratives highlighted the barriers for prevention in family environments characterized by maltreatment, a lack of child rights or that were unsupported by external authorities. Implications for the content of messages young children and their parents need to prevent child sexual victimization in the context of everyday family life are discussed.

Integrated Alcohol Use and Sexual Assault Prevention Program for College Men Who Engage in Heavy Drinking: Randomized Pilot Study.

Sexual assault is prevalent on college campuses and most commonly is perpetrated by men. Problematically, there is a dearth of evidence-based prevention programs targeting men as perpetrators of sexual aggression. The Sexual Assault and Alcohol Feedback and Education (SAFE) program is an integrated alcohol and sexual assault prevention intervention for college men who engage in heavy drinking that aims to address sexual aggression proclivity and alcohol use outcomes by incorporating social norms theory, bystander intervention, and motivational interviewing. This study aims to examine the initial feasibility-, acceptability-, and efficacy-related outcomes of a randomized pilot trial of an integrated alcohol and sexual assault prevention program for college men who engage in heavy drinking. This study included 115 college men who engaged in heavy drinking, who were randomly assigned to the SAFE program or a mindfulness-based control condition (MBCC). The feasibility of implementation, adequacy of participant retention, fidelity and competency of program administration, and satisfaction and utility of the intervention were evaluated. The primary outcomes of alcohol use and sexual aggression were evaluated at 2 and 6 months after baseline. The secondary outcomes of perceived peer norms, risks for sexual aggression, and bystander intervention were also assessed. The extent to which the motivational interviewing session with personalized normative feedback facilitated changes in the proximal outcomes of drinking intentions, motivation to change, and self-efficacy was also examined. The study procedures resulted in high program completion and retention (>80%), high fidelity to the program manual (>80% of the content included), high competency in program administration, and high ratings of satisfaction and program utility in addressing sexual relationships and alcohol use. Both groups reported declines in the number of drinks per week and number of heavy drinking days. Compared with the MBCC participants, the SAFE participants reported higher motivation to change alcohol use after the program, as well as greater use of alcohol protective behavioral strategies at 6 months. Compared with the MBCC participants, the SAFE participants also reported lower perceived peer engagement in sexual coercion, perceived peer comfort with sexism, and peer drinking norms at 2 and 6 months. However, no group differences were observed in sexual aggression severity, rape myth acceptance, or the labeling of sexual consent. Results regarding bystander intervention intentions were mixed, with the MBCC group showing decreased intentions at 2 months and the SAFE group reporting increased intentions at both 2 and 6 months. The findings provide promising evidence for the feasibility, acceptability, utility, and preliminary efficacy of the SAFE program in reducing alcohol use and positively influencing perceived peer norms and intentions for bystander intervention among college men who drink. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05773027; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05773027.

How Do Survivor and Mandatory Reporter Status Correlate with Program Outcomes for an Adult-Focused Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Program?

ABSTRACT This exploratory study investigated group differences and pre-post changes in knowledge, beliefs, and behavior by mandatory reporters and Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) survivor status for a CSA prevention training designed for the general public. Of the 8,114 study participants, 32% identified as having experienced CSA, and 77% indicated they were mandatory reporters for child abuse and neglect. Mandatory reporters had higher baseline knowledge about CSA than those who were not mandatory reporters and reported more CSA preventative behaviors. Mandatory reporters continued to have higher levels of knowledge following the training. Survivors of CSA also had higher baseline knowledge about CSA and preventative behavior scores than individuals who are not survivors of CSA. Unlike mandatory reporters, they experienced fewer increases in knowledge. At posttest, there was no evidence of a difference in knowledge between CSA survivors and non-CSA survivors. For items related to beliefs, mandatory reporters had higher baseline scores than other participants. However, they had smaller gains, so mandatory reporters and non-mandatory reporters had more similar beliefs related to CSA after the training. There were few differences between CSA survivors and non-survivors on baseline beliefs related to CSA, though CSA survivors reported greater increases in beliefs that CSA prevention is their responsibility and in the idea that they know what to do to prevent CSA. These results have significant results for the development and evaluation of trauma-informed prevention programming.

The Importance of Multidisciplinary Trauma-Informed Training in Addressing Campus-Based Sexual Violence.

This study investigates the impact of a professional development training series among a multidisciplinary team (MDT) during establishment of a trauma-informed sexual assault response and prevention program at a midsized university in the southeastern United States. MDT members included forensic nurses, advocates, counselors, law enforcement officers, and relevant faculty and staff. After completion of a baseline survey assessing attitudes toward trauma-informed care and perceptions of the team climate within the MDT, team members engaged in a trauma-informed care (TIC) professional development training series consisting of (a) 4-hour-long didactic lectures with incorporated group discussion and (2) one 2-hour in-situ simulation-based training exercise. MDT members subsequently completed 3-month and long-term follow-up surveys to assess the immediate and enduring impacts of the training series.The TIC training series significantly increased MDT members' perceptions of participative safety, task orientation, and support for innovation within the group at the 3-month assessment. No long-term differences were found, likely because of a small sample size and low statistical power.Intensive TIC MDT professional development at the beginning of a campus-wide sexual assault prevention and response initiative enhances psychological safety within the group, evidenced by increased perceptions of participative safety and support for innovation, and builds team cohesiveness around a shared set of tasks. Within the present MDT, the professional development training series also appeared to facilitate adoption of a shared set of values for accomplishing the team's goal of preventing and responding to sexual assault on campus. Recommendations for MDTs with similar goals are discussed.

Applying an Implementation Framework to the Dissemination of a School-Based Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Program.

Since the 1980s, school-based child sexual abuse (CSA) prevention programs have been the prevailing prevention strategy in the United States. Despite demonstrated effectiveness, there is a lack of infrastructure and educational policy ensuring all students receive these programs. A pragmatic application of the RE-AIM implementation framework, this study provides an overview of a multi-county implementation effort of the school-based CSA prevention program, Safe Touches. Implementation efforts across five counties in a Mid-Atlantic state are described at three levels: organizational (school districts), child, and program facilitator. Children's CSA-related knowledge was measured at four time points: pre-workshop, immediately post-workshop, and then 6 and 12 months post-workshop. Facilitators completed an anonymous survey post-implementation. Over the course of one and a half academic years, Safe Touches was implemented in 718 public school districts, reaching in total 14,235 second-grade students. Students' significantly increased knowledge from pre- to post-workshop and gains were maintained at 6 and 12 months (ps <.001). A total of 29 disclosures of maltreatment were made by students to facilitators during or after the workshop. Facilitators generally adopted Safe Touches and attested to the feasibility and benefits of its large-scale implementation as well as the negligible negative impacts for children. When implemented systematically, school-based CSA prevention is able to reach a high number of students, effectively increase CSA-related knowledge, and facilitates disclosures. To maximize the potential public health impact, it is suggested that state funds be allocated to support the implementation of such programs as part of standard education costs.

Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Live Musical Theater-Based Approach to Child Sexual Abuse Prevention in Elementary Schools

ABSTRACT Hugs and Kisses is a theater-based child sexual abuse (CSA) prevention program designed for children in kindergarten through fifth grades. The purpose of this cross-sectional case study is to evaluate how a comprehensive live musical theater program can prepare teachers to discuss and identify the signs of CSA, help children increase their knowledge, and learn prevention strategies to stop CSA in the future. A total of 154 teachers and 2,700 children from 31 schools participated in this program during 2016. Findings show this program increases children’s awareness of touch and action knowledge through five primary safety lessons taught during the program and reinforced by a teacher led in-person discussion after the play. Nearly 85% of the students across all grade levels in this sample understood the lessons taught in the play, and students whose teachers held an in-class discussion after the play scored better than those students whose teachers did not hold a discussion. Teachers who were prepared with training resources also held longer in-class discussions compared to those who were not prepared. The Hugs play has the potential to be a national model for evidence-based CSA programs.

Knowledge Gains from the Implementation of a Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Program and the Future of School-Based Prevention Education

ABSTRACT School-based child sexual abuse (CSA) programs effectively increase students’ CSA-related knowledge. This study focuses on an implementation trial of Safe Touches, an empirically supported, school-based CSA prevention program, that was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. We sought to demonstrate gains in CSA-related knowledge following Safe Touches but were limited to a pre-post design. A total of 2,210 students across five counties in a Mid-Atlantic state received the Safe Touches workshop between September 2019 and March 2020. McNemar’s chi-square test was used to assess changes in the proportion of correct responses pre-workshop (Time 1) and one-week post-workshop (Time 2). Students’ CSA-related knowledge increased significantly based on changes in mean CSA knowledge scores and the number of correct item-level responses assessed at Time 1 and Time 2 (p < .000). Leveraging the experience of the facilitators’ who delivered these workshops prior to the disruption of implementation, we gathered facilitators’ perspectives to explore the viability of offering Safe Touches virtually. In July 2020, 16 facilitators completed an electronic survey designed to understand the viability of a virtual Safe Touches workshop. Three themes emerged from facilitator feedback on virtual programming: student engagement concerns, handling disclosures, and technology access to a virtual program. The findings of this study indicate that the Safe Touches workshop significantly increased CSA-related knowledge and, overall, facilitators supported further exploration and development of a virtual Safe Touches workshop. The transition of empirically supported school-based CSA prevention programs to a virtual delivery modality is necessary to maintain an effective means of primary prevention and opportunity for disclosure.

The Intersection between Alcohol use and Sexual Activity among Young Adult Male U.S. Service Members.

The current study explores drinking habits, preferences for alcohol use before sexual activity, and alcohol-related sexual behavior among young adult male active duty service members in the United States. Hazardous alcohol use is a significant problem among United States military service members. Whereas the association between alcohol use and sexual assault is well documented in civilian samples, less is known regarding the intersection of alcohol use and sexual activity among soldiers. Descriptive statistics were utilized to summarize drinking habits, preferences for alcohol use before sexual activity, and alcohol-related sexual behavior. A sample of 338 active-duty male service members between the ages of 18 and 24 were recruited from a large military post in the Southeastern United States. Constructs were assessed using self-report surveys. Participants reported consuming alcohol, on average, 5.6 times over the prior month. Average alcohol consumption was reported to be 7.8 beverages per drinking occasion. Participants reported engaging in heavy drinking an average of 2.9 times over the past 30 days. On average, service members reported a preference for 1.3 drinks before sexual activity. Furthermore, 75.2% of participants preferred to be sober during sex, and 82.1% preferred to engage in sexual activity with a sober partner. Approximately 14% of the sample reported using alcohol to improve their chances of having sex. These findings highlight high rates of alcohol use among soldiers. Nonetheless, young adult male soldiers report a preference for sexual activity while sober. Understanding the co-occurrence of alcohol use and sexual activity has the potential to inform the development of integrated alcohol and sexual assault prevention programs for service members.

Dating Abuse and Harassment Among Sexual and Gender Minority U.S. College Students.

Purpose: Sexual and relationship violence has devasting effects on the health and well-being of college students. This study assessed the prevalence of dating abuse victimization and harassment among sexual and gender minority (SGM) college students within the first 3 months of college enrollment and identified potential demographic differences in exposure. Methods: Data are from the 2020 to 2021 Sexual Assault Prevention for Undergraduates digital sexual assault prevention program (N = 250,359). Descriptive statistics were used to determine 3-month prevalence of dating abuse victimization and harassment among gender identity and sexual orientation subgroups and to examine within-group differences based on race and ethnicity. Results: Dating abuse victimization during college was reported by 6.5% of transgender women, 5.0% of transgender men, 5.0% of genderqueer/nonconforming students, 2.0% of "women," and 1.0% of "men." Harassment during college was reported by 13.7% of genderqueer/nonconforming students, 11.2% of transgender women, 8.9% of transgender men, 8.7% of "women," and 1.6% of "men." Students who identified with more than one sexual orientation identity reported the highest rates of dating abuse (3.9%) and harassment (14.9%) during college. SGM students with particular racial/ethnic identities (i.e., Indigenous, multiracial) reported disproportionately higher rates, particularly American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander students who identified as transgender men (42.9%), transgender women (41.7%), genderqueer/nonconforming students (26.1%), queer/pansexual/questioning students (20%), and students with multiple sexual orientation identities (36.4%). Conclusion: Targeted intervention strategies and resources are needed on college campuses to support the needs and experiences of SGM students, including students who identify as Indigenous, multiracial, and other persons of color.

Improving Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Prevention from the Bottom-up: a Pilot of Getting To Outcomes in the US Military

While the Department of Defense (DoD) has given increased attention and priority to preventing sexual assault and sexual harassment (SA/SH), it remains a problem. To build its prevention capacity, DoD piloted Getting To Outcomes® (GTO®) from 2019 to 2022 at 10 military installations. GTO is an evidence-based planning and implementation support that has been used in many civilian contexts but has only recently been adapted for military SA/SH. The purpose of this study was to describe GTO use, identify its benefits and challenges, and discuss lessons the GTO effort yielded for prevention more broadly using a framework of organizational and program-level capacities needed for successful prevention in the military context, called the Prevention Evaluation Framework (PEF). GTO was piloted with 10 military installations (“sites”) representing all Military Services, plus the Coast Guard and National Guard. GTO is comprised of a written guide, training, and ongoing coaching. The pilot’s goal was for each site to use GTO to implement a SA/SH prevention program twice. Participants from each site were interviewed and data was collected on GTO steps completed, whether GTO spurred new evaluation activities and collaborations, and the degree of leadership support for GTO. Most sites completed all GTO steps at least once. Interviews showed that DoD participants believe GTO improved prevention understanding, planning, and evaluation capacity; strengthened confidence in chosen programs; and helped sites tailor programs to the military context. Barriers were the complexity of GTO, DoD personnel turnover, and the disruption that the COVID pandemic caused in sexual assault prevention program delivery. Many respondents were unsure if they would continue all of GTO after the coaching ended, but many believed they would continue at least some parts. According to the PEF, the GTO pilot revealed several additional prevention system gaps (e.g., need for leadership support) and changes needed to GTO (e.g., stronger leader and champion engagement), to support quality prevention. The military and other large organizations will need to focus on these issues to ensure prevention implementation and evaluation are conducted with quality.

Pornography Use, Perceived Peer Norms, and Attitudes Toward Women: A Study of College Men

Men’s negative attitudes toward women represent a known risk factor for sexual aggression perpetration. Sexual aggression is a widespread public health concern, especially among emerging adults, and is associated with a multitude of negative consequences. The current study evaluated whether pornography-related perceived peer norms, own approval, and self-reported use are associated with negative attitudes toward women in a sample of college men. Types of pornography examined included pornography (in general); pornography that included portrayals of bondage, whipping, and spanking but without explicit dissent (i.e., pornography that depicted bondage/physical aggression); as well as pornography consisting of sexually explicit rape depictions in which force is used. Self-report measures assessing the frequency of pornography exposure, self-acceptance of pornography use, and perceived peer norms were collected from 283 college men. A multiple linear regression model revealed that only perceived peer norms for acceptance of pornography that depicted rape was positively associated with negative attitudes toward women. Findings highlight the importance of better understanding and addressing perceived peer norms in sexual assault prevention programs for college men.

Examining the Moderating Role of Heavy Drinking Behaviors and Precarious Masculinity on Sexual Aggression Among Young Adult Men.

Men's heavy drinking behaviors are related to their engagement in sexual aggression and may be amplified by other factors, such as precarious masculinity (i.e., perceiving masculinity as tenuous in nature). Yet, researchers' understanding of how alcohol consumption, in combination with precarious masculinity, may increase risk of sexual aggression is lacking. The goal of this study was to assess if precarious masculinity moderated the relationship between men's heavy drinking and their sexual aggression. Young adult men (958 men, M age = 21.1 years, SD = 3.1) completed a web-administered questionnaire assessing sexual aggression, heavy drinking, and precarious masculinity. We ran a logistic regression examining the association between heavy drinking, precarious masculinity, and their interactive effect on men's engagement in sexual aggression. Heavy drinking (odds ratio [OR] = 1.17) and precarious masculinity (OR = 1.73) were independently and positively associated with men's sexual aggression; however, the interaction was not significant. In line with prior research, men's heavy drinking behaviors continue to be positively associated with sexual aggression. Building on masculinity literature, men viewing their masculinity as precarious and vulnerable appears to be associated with sexual aggression, potentially because engaging in sexual aggression can offset men's masculinity insecurities. Collectively, results suggest that both alcohol consumption and masculinity should be targeted in sexual assault prevention programs.