SOPHE / CDC Student Fellowship

SOPHE / CDC Student Fellowship in Injury Prevention

Kari Stephens

The Efficacy of Sexual Assault Prevention with College Men, Roles of Sex-Aggressive Hx and Culture

This study evaluated the efficacy of two sexual assault prevention programs. The prototypical presentation (P-SAPP) included an introduction, an efficacious, video-based, by-standard approach rape prevention program (Foubert, 2000), and videotaped material intended to inform participants about the interplay between sexual assault and alcohol. The culturally specific presentation (A-SAPP), presented only to Asian American (AA) participants, included the addition of AA cultural factors in the introduction. Male undergraduates (N=380) were randomized into either SAPP or control conditions if they identified as AA (N=193) and into only the P-SAPP or control condition if they identified as non-AA (N=187). Pre/post tests and a 5-week follow-up were conducted. Participants' rape myth beliefs, attraction to sexual aggression, self-reported likelihood to engage in sexually aggressive behavior, and victim empathy were assessed. Compared to the control condition, pro-social shifts at posttest across all measures were evident for the P-SAPP condition and across all measures except rape myth acceptance for the A-SAPP condition. However, significant pro-social effects were driven in most cases by participants with no self-reported history of sexually aggressive behavior (SAB). The only pro-social shift for participants with SAB was a reduction in attraction to sexual aggression in the P-SAPP condition. Therefore, these programs may not be as effective for the men most at risk to sexually offend in the future. A-SAPP condition effects were moderated by cultural factors such as loss of face and ethnic identity. Some rebound effects occurred at follow-up. Individual factors of culture and SAB played key moderating roles with pro-social effects.

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