Empowerment Self-Defense Intervention Outcomes: A Descriptive Review of Measures

Global research about empowerment self-defense (ESD)-a sexual assault resistance intervention recommended as a component of a comprehensive sexual assault prevention strategy-continues to emerge, with studies reporting positive effects, including reduced risk of sexual assault victimization. Researchers have suggested ESD may produce additional positive public health outcomes beyond the prevention of sexual violence, but more research is needed to understand the benefits associated with ESD training. However, to conduct high-quality research, scholars have suggested a need for improved measurement tools. To better understand these measurement gaps, the purpose of this study was to identify and review measures used in ESD outcome studies; and in doing so, to determine the range of outcomes previously measured in quantitative studies. Within the 23 articles meeting study inclusion criteria, there were 57 unique scales that measured a range of variables. These 57 measures were grouped into nine construct categories: assault characteristics (n = 1); attitudes and beliefs (n = 6); behavior and behavioral intentions (n = 12); fear (n = 4); knowledge (n = 3); mental health (n = 8); any past unwanted sexual experiences (n = 7); perception of risk and vulnerability (n = 5); and self-efficacy (n = 11). Except for mental health, most scales were developed in the Global North using college student populations, so measures for diverse populations (e.g., diverse in age, culture, ethnicity, geographical origin) are critically needed. Future research should focus on identifying and/or developing standardized tools that measure the full constellation of targeted outcomes. Evaluation of the methodological quality of studies assessing psychometric performance of the tools should also be prioritized.

Correlates of Sexual Victimization Among Community College Women

The current study documents the correlates associated with the severity of sexual victimization among women enrolled in a 2-year community college. Comparisons between women with a history of severe sexual victimization (i.e., rape and attempted rape), moderate sexual victimization (i.e., unwanted contact and sexual coercion), and no history of sexual victimization revealed that women with a history of severe sexual victimization endorsed more drinks per week, increased problem drinking behavior, and more use of drug before sex and higher levels of self-protective dating behaviors compared with women with no history of sexual victimization. These findings suggest that programs should target the intersection of alcohol and drug use as correlates of sexual victimization among community college women.

Ntombi Vimbela! Sexual violence risk reduction intervention: pre and one-year post assessments from a single arm pilot feasibility study among female students in South Africa

BACKGROUND

The extremely high prevalence of sexual violence victimisation reported among female students in South African public higher education demands urgent action to develop, rigorously evaluate and scale effective prevention interventions. This article details findings from a pilot feasibility study of Ntombi Vimbela! a campus sexual violence risk reduction intervention developed to tackle the high burden of sexual violence in higher education institutions in South Africa.

METHODS

Ntombi Vimbela! (NV!) is a sexual violence risk reduction intervention that comprises sexuality empowerment, gender and social norm change, early-risk identification, self-defence, resistance and mental wellbeing components. NV! is comprised of ten workshop sessions running for 3.5 h each. Workshops are co-delivered by two trained peer facilitators per group of at most 20 first-year female students. One-year post-intervention quantitative outcome assessments were remotely completed by 98 participants who participated in the NV! pilot workshops. Qualitative assessments were conducted with 35 participants through in-depth telephone interviews (IDTIs).

FINDINGS

One year after attending NV! workshops, most participants reported improved awareness of sexual rights, assertive communication, shifts in gender equitable beliefs, reductions in rape myth acceptance, improved expressed sexual relationship power sexual decision-making, and improved negotiation within their intimate relationships. Participants' depressive symptoms also significantly decreased. Many participants improved awareness of sexual assault risk and vigilance, including using self-protection strategies such as removing themselves from environments where alcohol intoxication posed sexual assault risks. Some participants used assertive communication to withstand peer pressure to engage in risky sexual behaviours. Most participants scored highly on the self-defence efficacy scale. Some participants were exposed to and successful in using verbal and physical resistance strategies in potential sexual assault risky situations.

CONCLUSION

These findings indicate the potential beneficial effects of NV! as a campus sexual violence risk reduction intervention at one-year post-intervention, which must be evaluated in a future rigorous randomised control trial.

PILOT TRIAL REGISTERED AT

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04607564 on 29/10/2020.

Effects of Campus Sexual Assault Prevention Programs on Attitudes and Behaviors Among American College Students: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

The US Campus Sexual Assault Violence Elimination (SaVE) Act of 2013 mandates that all higher education institutions receiving federal funds offer incoming students primary prevention and awareness programming addressing sexual violence. Yet, there is no thorough and up-to-date quantitative synthesis of the effects of campus sexual assault prevention programs on sexual assault attitudes/knowledge and behaviors. Thus, we conducted a systematic review of the literature and a meta-analysis of experimental and high-quality quasi-experimental research examining effects of college sexual assault prevention programs on sexual assault attitudes and behaviors. Our synthesis of 385 effect sizes from 80 eligible studies disseminated between 1991 and 2021 indicates campus sexual assault programs have a more pronounced effect on attitudes/knowledge than on violence. Effects on sexual assault victimization were significant but small (g = 0.15) and effects on sexual assault perpetration were nonsignificant. Moderator analyses indicate programs that use a risk reduction framework are associated with less favorable outcomes than programs that do not use a risk reduction framework. Considering the limited effect of campus sexual assault prevention programs on violence, we recommend programming efforts move beyond a focus on individuals and, instead, adopt an ecological perspective targeting individuals, social relationships, community factors, and societal factors.

Barriers to addressing alcohol use in college sexual assault prevention: Where we stand and future steps

Purpose of Review

The aims of this paper are two-fold. First, we review the current evidence on sexual assault prevention programming that also targets alcohol. Second, we identify barriers to including alcohol use in sexual assault programs and provide recommendations to overcome these barriers.

Recent Findings

We identified six sexual assault programs that also include alcohol use content, four of which have yet to be rigorously evaluated. To further refine sexual assault prevention efforts, we identified four barriers that need to be overcome including: (1) alcohol and sexual assault prevent efforts are currently siloed, (2) fear of victim blaming when integrating alcohol into programs for women, (3) a lack of evidence on how alcohol impacts bystanders, and (4) uncertainty about how to include content related to alcohol and sexual consent communicated.

Summary

Researchers and preventionists with expertise in alcohol and/or sexual assault prevention need to work together with stakeholders and students on college campuses to overcome these barriers and address a key correlate of sexual assault.

What Stops Unwanted Sexual and Social Advances Made by Heavy Drinking College Men?

Although rates of sexual aggression are high among college men who engage in heavy drinking, little is known regarding how often heavy drinking college men initiate unwanted sexual advances towards women that could lead to a potential sexual assault or the reasons why these advances stop or proceed. The present study describes heavy drinking college men's (N = 210) initiation of unwanted sexual and social advances towards women, as well as outcomes of these interactions, including how often these behaviors continue, and men's perception of what stopped the behavior over a 3-month period. Men indicated whether they were in a situation where a sexual partner noted that she does not want sexual activity to proceed further, initiated unwanted sexual contact, initiated unwanted sexual intercourse, attempted to give a woman alcohol when she did not appear to want to drink, or attempted to take a woman to an isolated location when she did not appear to want to go. These unwanted sexual and social advances most often stopped because of women's verbal resistance (i.e., saying "stop" or "no"), or because men engaged in a discussion regarding the women's limits or choices. Given that none of the unwanted sexual or social advances stopped because of bystander intervention, the present study highlights the importance of raising awareness of the effectiveness of women's resistance tactics and continuing to train bystanders to notice and take action to address risky situations.

A missed research opportunity for effective prevention: Clery Act Timely Warning Notices

The Clery Act was created to provide transparency around campus safety, including sexual assault. This includes making timely warnings to the campus community about safety threats on campus. While all universities are mandated to follow the Clery Act, the legislation does not provide guidance on what language universities should employ, how much leeway an institution has in determining if a sexual assault represents an immediate public safety threat, or recommended best practices for Timely Warning Notices. The need for guidance is evident to address timeliness, language, and prevention science. Victim blaming, racial/ethnic stereotypes and LGBTQ + inclusivity can all be implied through the nature of recommendations that colleges offer. Language matters, especially when timely warnings are one of the few forms of communication a university sends to everyone affiliated with their institution. We provide recommended next steps for researching timely warnings as a sexual assault prevention tool.

"I Felt Powerful and Confident": Women's Use of What They Learned in Feminist Sexual Assault Resistance Education

Research on women's response and resistance to sexual assault risk has informed the development of interventions to improve women's ability to effectively resist sexual assault. However, little is known about how women anticipate, navigate, and respond to risk following participation in sexual assault risk reduction/resistance education programs. In this study, we examined the information and skills used by university women who had recently completed the effective Enhanced Assess, Acknowledge, Act (EAAA) sexual assault resistance program. We analyzed responses from 445 women using descriptive statistics and content and thematic analysis. Just under half (42%) of women used at least one EAAA strategy in the following 2 years. Most women reported that their efforts were successful in stopping an attack. Women's responses included strategies both to preempt sexual assault threat (e.g., avoiding men who display danger cues, communicating assertively about wanted and unwanted sex) and to interrupt or avoid an imminent threat (e.g., yelling, hitting, and kicking). Women's use of resistance strategies worked to subvert gendered social norms and socialization. The results suggest that counter to criticisms that risk reduction/resistance programs blame women or make them responsible for stopping men's violence, women who took EAAA typically positioned themselves as agentic and empowered in their resistance.

The Girls' Leadership Academy: A Promising, Empowerment-Based Approach to the Prevention of Sexual Violence

Sexual violence (SV) is a pernicious issue that disproportionally impacts girls and women. Although few initiatives have demonstrated effectiveness in leading to reductions in SV, global health organizations have identified empowerment-based programs as a promising approach to SV prevention. The purpose of this article is to discuss the Girls Leadership Academy (GLA), a program of the Nebraska's Women's Center for Advancement, which is a "homegrown," theoretically grounded, practice-based SV prevention program for adolescent girls. More specifically, we discuss previous research relevant to the GLA; the theoretical underpinnings of the GLA; and the history, context, and content of the GLA.

Navigating violence and risk: A critical discourse analysis of blind women's portrayals of self-protective measures

Women with disabilities experience high rates of violence and harassment, yet meaningful violence prevention interventions providing the opportunity to learn how to be active agents in their own self-protection are virtually non-existent. To understand why, we draw on insights from feminist disability studies to explore some of the unexamined assumptions and discourses in gender-based violence prevention research. We then apply a feminist critical discourse analysis to focus groups with blind and partially sighted women to explore their talk about violence and self-defence to understand how they portray self-protective measures, and what practices those portrayals engender. We discerned three portrayals: self-protective measures as necessary against strangers, a delimited responsibility, and an effective means to an end. These portrayals and their subsequent practices demonstrate how the participants navigate violence while living with vision loss. We also consider the implications of our analysis for future directions in gendered violence prevention research.

Prevention of sexual violence among college students: Current challenges and future directions

Objective Preventing sexual violence among college students is a public health priority. This paper was catalyzed by a summit convened in 2018 to review the state of the science on campus sexual violence prevention. We summarize key risk and vulnerability factors and campus-based interventions, and provide directions for future research pertaining to campus sexual violence. Results and Conclusions: Although studies have identified risk factors for campus sexual violence, longitudinal research is needed to examine time-varying risk factors across social ecological levels (individual, relationship, campus context/broader community and culture) and data are particularly needed to identify protective factors. In terms of prevention, promising individual and relational level interventions exist, including active bystander, resistance, and gender transformative approaches; however, further evidence-based interventions are needed, particularly at the community-level, with attention to vulnerability factors and inclusion for marginalized students.

Epidemiology of Campus Sexual Assault Among University Women in Eswatini

Sexual assault on university campuses has attracted growing attention, but there is little data available on the scope of the problem in Southern Africa. We sought to measure the prevalence of campus sexual assault among female university students at the University of Eswatini and describe the experience of survivors using a mixed-methods study design. Women were randomly sampled from a list of all full-time female university students provided by the office of the registrar, and participants completed a brief behavioral survey in a private study office using a tablet with computer-assisted self-interview software. Women who indicated experiences of sexual violence during the survey were invited to self-identify themselves to study staff to participate in a follow-up qualitative interview. We measured sexual assault using the Sexual Experiences Survey-Short Form Version (SES-SFV). We found that women in University were over 6 times more likely to report forced or coerced sex in the previous 12 months than has been previously reported in the general population. Sixty percent of participants reported experiencing an attempted or completed sexual assault in their lifetime, and a total of 38% reported an assault in the past 12 months. The vast majority (93%) of assailants were known to their victim, and the majority (56%) of perpetrators were romantic partners. The majority of participants had never disclosed their assault, and victim blaming and stigma emerged as highly salient themes during in-depth qualitative interviews. Food insecurity, losing a parent before age 21, and hazardous drinking were all significantly associated with experiencing sexual assault in the previous 12 months, as was experiencing a previous assault before the age of 18. To our knowledge, this is the first generalizable study of campus sexual assault prevalence conducted in the Southern African region.

Young People's Experiences With an Empowerment-Based Behavior Change Intervention to Prevent Sexual Violence in Nairobi Informal Settlements: A Qualitative Study

PURPOSE

Young people in sub-Saharan Africa face one of the world's highest burdens of sexual violence. Previous impact evaluations indicated that a 6-week empowerment-based behavioral intervention in Nairobi informal (slum) settlements can reduce sexual assault. This qualitative study investigated girls' and boys' experiences of the intervention to identify potential mechanisms of change.

METHODS

We conducted a qualitative study in Nairobi slums with students (aged 15-21 years) who had participated in 2 parallel school-based curriculums called IMPower (girls) and Your Moment of Truth (boys) at least 1 year ago. Data were collected via 10 focus group discussions (5 for boys, 5 for girls) with 6-11 participants in each and 21 individual in-depth interviews (11 boys, 10 girls) that explored participants' experiences of the intervention and their suggestions for improvement. Findings were analyzed using thematic network analysis guided by empowerment theory.

RESULTS

Girls described how the intervention enabled them to recognize and resist sexual assault via verbal and physical strategies for self-protection, negotiate sexual consent, and exercise agency. Boys described increased ability to avoid risky behaviors and "bad" peer groups and to understand and respect consent. Girls also described how the intervention strengthened their self-confidence, and boys said that it boosted positive life values and gender-equal attitudes. Skilled facilitators and interactive and relevant content were highlighted as key to intervention success. Areas of improvement included expanding the curriculum to contain more content on sexual and reproductive health and rights and involving out-of-school youth, parents, teachers, and communities.

CONCLUSION

Findings indicate that a relatively short, behavioral school-based intervention can empower both girls and boys to prevent various forms of sexual violence in a low-income setting where it is endemic. Incorporating multilevel support structures, such as involving communities and families, could further enhance young people's long-term safety, health, and well-being.

"I learned that I am worth defending": A process evaluation of a sexual assault prevention program implemented on an Indian reservation

A great deal of programming has been developed to prevent sexual assault (SA) among adolescents. Few studies examine programming implementation among minority groups and present information about program acceptability among participants and community stakeholders. The purpose of the current study was to examine the acceptability of implementing an empowerment SA self-defense program for adolescent girls on an Indian reservation. Data for the study came from posttest surveys of Native American adolescent girls who participated in an SA prevention program (N = 102) and interviews with community stakeholders, including program participants (N = 18). Results showed that acceptability was high among program participants and community stakeholders. Program participants noted that they liked the program overall and liked components of the programming. Participants noted that they disliked pressure to participate, program length, and missing class. Among community stakeholders, all expressed an overall positive impression of the program, felt that the program had a positive impact on program participants, and appreciated that girls learned to use refusal skills. Community stakeholders provided several programming improvement ideas such as incorporating culturally specific content into the program for future implementation. These findings can be used by other researchers, schools, and practitioners implementing prevention programs with Native American girls.

Resisting Unwanted Sexual and Social Advances: Perspectives of College Women and Men

This study examines college men's (N = 635) and women's (N = 650) reports of women's resistance against unwanted sexual and social advances. Men completed surveys to assess (a) initiation of unwanted sexual contact with a female partner, (b) initiation of unwanted sexual intercourse with a female partner, (c) sexual situations where a female partner decided she did not want to proceed, (d) encouraging a woman to drink when they were aware that the woman did not want to, and (e) attempting to take a woman to an isolated location against her will. Women completed corresponding questionnaires regarding the receipt of such unwanted advances, the outcome of the situation, and the resistance tactics utilized. Many men (5%-46%) and women (15%-38%) initiated or experienced, respectively, at least one of the five unwanted sexual or social advances. Unwanted sexual and social advances most often stopped as a result of women's verbal and physical resistance. Few advances (0%-8%) stopped as a result of bystander intervention. In addition to decreasing men's likelihood of engaging in unwanted sexual and social advances, these data highlight the importance of educating women on the effectiveness of verbal and physical resistance tactics, and increasing the frequency of prosocial bystander action on college campuses.

Integrating Sexual Assault Resistance, Bystander, and Men's Social Norms Strategies to Prevent Sexual Violence on College Campuses: A Call to Action

Sexual assault prevention on college campuses often includes programming directed at men, women, and all students as potential bystanders. Problematically, specific types of sexual assault prevention are often implemented on campuses in isolation, and sexual assault risk reduction and resistance education programs for women are rarely integrated with other approaches. With increasing focus on the problem of sexual assault on college campuses, it is timely to envision a comprehensive and interconnected prevention approach. Implementing comprehensive prevention packages that draw upon the strengths of existing approaches is necessary to move toward the common goal of making college campuses safer for all students. Toward this goal, this commentary unpacks the models and mechanisms on which current college sexual assault prevention strategies are based with the goal of examining the ways that they can better intersect. The authors conclude with suggestions for envisioning a more synthesized approach to campus sexual assault prevention, which includes integrated administration of programs for women, men, and all students as potential bystanders on college campuses.

Trouble in Paradigm: "Gender Transformative" Programming in Violence Prevention

The World Health Organization encourages a "gender transformative" paradigm for preventing violence against women and girls. Gender transformative interventions engage men and boys to reflect critically on-and then to challenge and change-gender-inequitable attitudes and behaviors. To interpret the mixed findings of research evaluating such programs, we review the "social norms" model that informs the paradigm. We bolster the paradigmatic conceptualization of social norms through insights about how exposure to trauma shapes gendered patterns of victimization and perpetration, about gendered violence from research on homophobic bullying, and about transforming local regimes of gender accountability.

"They destroyed my life because I do not feel like a man anymore": An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of Men's lived experiences of rape victimization

Over the past three decades, rape victimization has been regarded as a women-only issue, with men regarded as the only offenders. This has resulted in a narrow-focused approach in addressing this scourge where men who could be primary victims are marginalized. This marginalization has also occurred in research, resulting in the paucity of literature on men's experiences of rape victimization in South Africa and globally. The main aim of the study was to explore, analyze and interpret men's lived experiences of rape victimization and the meaning they attached to such experiences. An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis research design was used to collect and analyze data from a purposive sample of 11 participants, using semi-structured face-to-face interviews. The findings of the study revealed eight superordinate themes and related subordinate themes as follows: unexpected overpowering experience, forceful sexual violations, rape as torture, intense emotions attached to being raped, rape as a permanent emotional scar, negative perceptions of self, rape as something being taken away, and rape as divine punishment. The findings highlight the experiences and meanings which men attach to being raped, thus demonstrating the need to develop men-specific post-rape care management guidelines to support and care for men who are rape victims.

"Get Out of My Home and Don't Come Back!" Empowering Women Through Self-Defense

Can self-defense courses empower those already victimized? This article explores the potential for self-defense courses to have specific efficacy in the prevention of intimate partner violence (IPV). It draws on interview ( n = 36) and pre- and postevaluation ( n = 44) data from two studies: (a) evaluation of a pilot study of a feminist empowerment self-defense course designed specifically for women's refuge/shelter clients (Violence Prevention Project [VPP]) and (b) evaluation of women's self-defense courses collected as part of a larger evaluation study (Skills for Safety). The overwhelmingly positive findings from both studies suggest greater consideration be offered to providing further collaborative refuge/self-defense courses for women victimized by IPV.

“Back Off Buddy, This Is My Body, Not Yours”: Empowering Girls Through Self-Defense

Although growing recognition is being given to the benefits of teaching self-defense skills to college women, very little research attention has considered the impacts of providing such courses to school-aged girls. This article presents the findings from a large-scale evaluation of self-defense programs provided to three different age groups of schoolgirls from diverse backgrounds in New Zealand, drawing on survey responses from the girls themselves, supplemented by qualitative data provided by key informant interviews with their school and self-defense teachers. The findings provide clear evidence of the many positive benefits that can result for girls of all ages who participate in feminist self-defense courses taught by carefully trained instructors with a strong empowerment focus.

Secondary and 2-Year Outcomes of a Sexual Assault Resistance Program for University Women

We report the secondary outcomes and longevity of efficacy from a randomized controlled trial that evaluated a novel sexual assault resistance program designed for first-year women university students. Participants (N = 893) were randomly assigned to receive the Enhanced Assess, Acknowledge, Act (EAAA) program or a selection of brochures (control). Perception of personal risk, self-defense self-efficacy, and rape myth acceptance was assessed at baseline; 1-week postintervention; and 6-, 12-, 18-, and 24-month postrandomization. Risk detection was assessed at 1 week, 6 months, and 12 months. Sexual assault experience and knowledge of effective resistance strategies were assessed at all follow-ups. The EAAA program produced significant increases in women's perception of personal risk, self-defense self-efficacy, and knowledge of effective (forceful verbal and physical) resistance strategies; the program also produced decreases in general rape myth acceptance and woman blaming over the entire 24-month follow-up period. Risk detection was significantly improved for the intervention group at post-test. The program significantly reduced the risk of completed and attempted rape, attempted coercion, and nonconsensual sexual contact over the entire follow-up period, yielding reductions between 30% and 64% at 2 years. The EAAA program produces long-lasting changes in secondary outcomes and in the incidence of sexual assault experienced by women students. Universities can reduce the harm and the negative health consequences that young women experience as a result of campus sexual assault by implementing this program. Online slides for instructors who want to use this article for teaching are available on PWQ's website at http://journals.sagepub.com/page/pwq/suppl/index.