Effects of Two Acquaintance Rape Prevention Programs on Rape- Supportive Beliefs Among College Students (From Academically Speaking, Criminal Justice Related Research by Florida's Doctoral Candidates, 1993, P 47-59, 1994)

• NCJ Number: 154485
• Author(s): L S Forst
• Date Published: 1994
• Length: 13 pages
• Corporate Author: Florida Department of Law Enforcement
• Sale Source: Florida Department of Law Enforcement; National Institute of Justice/; NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Publication Type: Thesis/Dissertation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Several studies have concluded that on college campuses, 25 percent of women have been victims of rape or attempted rape, with 90 percent of the victims knowing their assailants. This study describes the effectiveness of two campus rape prevention programs in changing rape-supportive beliefs among male and female students.

Abstract

The first treatment was a workshop with a lecture format, frequently used on college campuses. A female university police officer and a representative of the local sexual assault project covered topics including definitions, legal issues, victim services, rape myths, sexual behavior, and communication and assertiveness. The second treatment was experimental in nature, involving a short overview of rape and acquaintance rape, an awareness quiz, and improvisational theater followed by a group discussion involving the audience. An evaluation showed there were no differences between program format in terms of reducing rape- supportive beliefs among the students. Participants who had been victims of sexual assault showed significantly fewer rape- supportive beliefs across all groups, as did participants with a direct knowledge of rape trauma. This finding highlights the usefulness of having sexual assault victims address students as part of a rape prevention program. 52 references