Rape Prevention Through Bystander Education

Project Summary for 2002-WG-BX-0009

The objectives of this project are to add the important and growing literature on sexual assault prevention. The primary objectives is the evalution of a sexual assault prevention program on a college campus. The program emphasizes a relatively new area of prevention, bystander behavior, in an attempt to find new ways to engage both men and women. The program focuses on training and supporting prosocial bystander behaviors - helping
students become more sensitive to issues of sexual assault and teaching them skills to intervene to prevent assaults from occurring and support survivors who may disclose to them. Research participants will be drawn from among enrolled undergraduate students and will be divided into a control group who will receive no special programming, students who will receive a one-session dose of programming, and students who will receive a three-session dose of programming. Participants will complete pre-, post-test and follow-up measures at 2 and 4 months of knowledge and attitudes related to sexual assault and bystander behavior . A sub-sample will also participate in a 12 month follow-up and in focus groups to discuss strengths and limits of the program.

Ca/ncf