NCJ Number
160840
Journal
Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice Volume: 12 Issue: 1 Dated: (February 1996) Pages: 28-44
Date Published
1996
Length
17 pages
Annotation
This study examined the effectiveness of two rape prevention programs that addressed rape-supportive beliefs among college students.
Abstract
The participants were divided into three groups. One group participated in a didactic rape prevention program that involved primarily lecture and video instruction. The second group participated in an experiential rape prevention program that used improvisational theater. The third group was the control group. Fifty-five participants completed two attitude scales developed by Burt (1980). They then participated in a workshop and took the attitude scales again as posttreatment tests. Two weeks later, the participants took a follow-up, posttreatment test, using the same attitude scales. Participants who had been sexual-assault victims scored significantly lower than nonvictims in the testing across all groups. It was also found that participants who had any previous experience with sexual assault, such as familiarity with a victim or an offender, scored significantly lower in rape- supportive beliefs after participating in the didactic program than participants who had no previous experience with sexual assault. Based on these findings, didactic programs apparently have the most effective format for reducing rape-support beliefs among college students familiar with sexual assault. 1 table, 2 figures, 28 references, and appended attitude scales