Publication year
2012
Citation Title
Effects of The Men’s Program on U.S. Army soldiers’ intentions to commit and willingness to intervene to prevent rape: A pretest posttest study.
Journal Name
Violence and Victims
Journal Volume
27
Issue Number
6
Page Numbers
911-921
DOI
10.1891/0886-6708.27.6.911
Summary
Military sexual assault is a pervasive problem in the military and exploring how to prevent sexual assault is very important. Enlisted male Soldiers were randomly assigned to a 1-hour rape prevention workshop (“The Men’s Program”) or to a comparison briefing on issues related to sexual assault. Participants in The Men’s Program showed significant change in the expected direction on a range of variables assessing likelihood of raping and likelihood of intervening if they witness a sexual assault occurring.
Key Findings
Soldiers who participated in the Men’s Program had significantly lower acceptance of rape myths, higher bystander efficacy, and higher willingness to intervene than comparison group soldiers at post-test.
Soldiers in the comparison group remained the same on all variables (willingness to intervene, bystander efficacy, likelihood of raping, and likelihood of committing sexual assault) except for rape myth acceptance.
Soldiers in the comparison group reported worse attitudes on several rape myth acceptance subscales after the briefing than at pre-test.
Implications for Program Leaders
Provide evidence-based rape-prevention workshops for Service members
Educate Service members regarding the frequency and impact of rape in the military
Develop work groups of Service members and families that address issues of sexual assault (e.g., rape myths)
Implications for Policy Makers
Recommend a systematic review of the effectiveness of sexual assault prevention briefings in military settings
Continue to support resources for evidence-based rape-prevention workshops for Service members
Support programs and services that help Service members who have experienced military sexual trauma
Methods
Participants were randomly assigned to The Men’s Program or the general briefing and completed anonymous survey packets, a pre-test before the session, and an identical post-test upon completion.
The Men’s Program involves viewing of a video of a male-on-male rape experience to increase empathy for victims; male peer presenters teach ways of supporting rape survivors, facilitate role plays, and lead a discussion.
The general briefing contained education about the prevalence and definition of sexual assault, how to reduce your risk of being assaulted, and information about rape myths.
Participants
The sample included 481 enlisted men in the U.S. Army stationed in Germany.
A total of 237 attended The Men’s Program and 244 received the general briefing.
The mean age of Soldiers was 25.9 years (SD = 6.6); 54% of Soldiers were White, 20% Black, and 16% Latino.
Limitations
This study focused on U.S. Army Soldiers stationed in Germany; therefore, results may not generalize to Service members in other branches or Soldiers stationed at other installations.
All measures were anonymous self-report; participants may have responded in socially desirable ways.
The study was limited to pre-test/post-test data, lacking any follow-up assessments; therefore, long-term changes could not be assessed.
Avenues for Future Research
Examine the long-term impact of The Men’s Program and its effectiveness with a more diverse sample
Supplement self-report data with other indices of behavior would shed important light on subjects’ actual behavior
Examine not only the benefits but also possible adverse effects of briefings and interventions regarding sexual assault prevention
Focus
Army
Target Population
Population Focus
Military Branch
Military Component
Abstract
Noncommissioned male officers in the U.S. Army stationed in Germany were trained to present a 1-hour rape prevention workshop—The Men's Program—to 237 enlisted male soldiers. A comparison group of 244 male soldiers received a briefing focused on reducing the individual's risk for experiencing sexual assault, discussion of myths and facts about sexual assault, and how to avoid being accused of sexual assault. Participants in The Men's Program experienced significant change in the predicted direction for bystander willingness to help, bystander efficacy, rape myth acceptance, likelihood of raping, and likelihood of committing sexual assault with low to medium effect sizes. Comparison group participants experienced no effect on these variables except for a significant decline in rape myth acceptance with a very low effect. Between-group differences pointed to the efficacy of The Men's Program. Implications of these results for rape prevention programming in the military are discussed.
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