Evaluation of the Impact of a Coeducational Sexual Assault Prevention Program on College Students' Rape Myth Attitudes

The authors examined the impact of a mandatory, coeducational sexual assault prevention program on college freshmen's rape myth attitudes. Data from 174 college freshmen required to attend the program indicated that, regardless of gender, the proposed sexual assault prevention program significantly decreased participants' rape myth acceptance attitudes. Implications of the findings for college counselors and directions for future research are discussed. ********** Sexual assault continues to be a concern on college campuses (Breitenbccher & Scarce, 2001; Foubert & Marriott, 1997; Gidycz, Layman, et al., 2001, Gidycz, Lynn, et al., 2001), with some statistics indicating that the prevalence of completed sexual assaults on college campuses ranges from 11% to 28% of female college students, with the incidences of unwanted sexual contact and attempted rapes being even higher (Garrett-Gooding & Senter, 1987; Himelcin, 1995; Koss, 1989; Koss, Gidycz, & Wisniewski, 1987). The sexual victimization rates among college women are about 3 times greater than victimization rates among women in the general population (Koss et al., 1987). Indeed, the psychological and physical effects resulting from a sexual assault may be disabling and chronic, with many victims experiencing posttraumatic stress disorder or depression, and most people experiencing cognitive, affective, and/or behavioral disequilibrium following a sexual assault (Sochting, Fairbrother, & Koch, 2004; White, Trippany, & Nolan, 2003). Due to the prevalence of sexual assault, and data indicating that sexual assault can have a long-term impact on one's psychological functioning and development, the prevention of sexual assault is a priority for many college counselors. The development and implementation of sexual assault prevention programs that are most cost effective have the greatest impact on students, and, ultimately, helping to prevent sexual assault is a continued goal for many college counselors (Breitenbechcr & Scarce, 2001). Researchers have attempted to assess the effectiveness of various sexual assault prevention programs (Frazier, Valtinson, & Candell, 1994). Typically, sexual assault prevention programs focus on components such as providing information on the prevalence of sexual assault, challenging rape myth attitudes, discussions of sex-role stereotypical behaviors that may contribute to sexual assault, and practical suggestions for safe dating behavior (Sochting et al., 2004). Some programs have focused on changing men's attitudes and behavior (e.g., Choate, 2003; Foubert, 2000; Foubert & McEwen, 1998; Vickio, Hoffman, & Yarris, 1999), and others direct prevention efforts toward women (Breitenbecher & Gidycz, 1998; Breitenbecher & Scarce, 2001; Carmody & Washington, 2001; Combs-Lane & Smith, 2002). Ultimately, men and woman can both benefit from increased knowledge and awareness of this important topic and from an understanding of the challenges and struggles that the opposite sex faces with regard to sexual-assault-related issues (Frazier et al., 1994). In general, some of the specific criticisms of prevention programs include the short duration of and single exposure to the material, testing effects, rebound effects, and a lack of sensitivity to racial and gender issues (Lonsway & Kothari, 2000). Some researchers believe that knowledge and awareness about sexual assault, with multiple and repeated exposures to prevention education, is most beneficial in preventing sexual assaults (Lonsway & Kothari, 2000), yet a lack of resources can make this goal a challenge for college counselors. Another criticism of sexual assault prevention is that due to difficulties in assessment and measurement, very few studies have assessed for the effectiveness of sexual assault prevention programs in reducing the actual number of completed campus sexual assaults (Breitenbecher & Gidycz, 1998; Breitenbecher & Scarce, 2001; Foubert & Marriott, 1997; Gidycz, Layman, et al. …