Project Details
Description
AbstractPI: Sarah McMahon & Judy L. PostmusThe current application proposes to address research objective #2, Efficacy/Effectivenessresearch, for sexual violence, area (b). We propose a study that investigates the effectiveness ofan innovative, peer education theater model that delivers multi-dosage primary prevention toincoming college students. The proposed study will assess its longitudinal impact on behavioralintent and actual behaviors related to sexual violence and bystander intervention.The intervention under study in the proposal is an innovative, peer education, theaterintervention program called SCREAM Theater (Students Challenging Realities and EducatingAgainst Myths) that has demonstrated success in changing attitudes and behaviors related tosexual violence in exploratory studies. The model is supported by the Theory of PlannedBehavior and is carefully constructed to address the five step process of becoming a bystanderdeveloped originally by Latane and Darley (1970) and more recently updated by Burn (2009).The results of the study will be translated into easily accessible materials to be disseminated toother colleges and universities, including a multi-dose curriculum and evaluation guide.The specific aims of this proposal are to: 1) Determine whether the SCREAM Theaterintervention positively impacts students attitudes and behaviors related to sexual violence,including proclivity to perpetrate, both short term and longitudinally; 2) Determine whether theSCREAM Theater intervention positively impacts students' behavioral intentions to intervene asa bystander as well as actual bystander behaviors, both short term and longitudinally; and 3)Identify whether dosage is related to attitudinal and behavioral change.The proposed project will use a quasi-experimental, longitudinal design to determine the impactof a peer education theater intervention (SCREAM Theater) on undergraduate student attitudesand behaviors related to sexual violence and bystander intervention. Students will be assigned toeither an experimental group (receiving 3 doses of the intervention) or a comparison group(receiving one dose only) and will be assessed five times over an 18 month period. Out of 4,700students that attend New Student orientation, we will recruit at least 2,000 students to participate.A total of 700 students will be randomly assigned to a comparison group (receiving 1 dose) and1,300 assigned to the experimental group (receiving 3 doses). Stratified random samplingprocedures will be used and will include oversampling of the moderating variables.The instruments for this proposal are theoretically grounded and have good reliability. Theindependent variable for this study includes the bystander education received throughSCREAMing to Prevent Violence (1 dose or 3 doses). The dependent variables include the threedeterminants of behavior from the Theory of Planned Behavior (attitudes, subjective norms, andperceived behavioral control) as well as the actual bystander behavior, proclivity to perpetrate,and past perpetration. We will also include a measure on rape myth acceptance to measureattitudes about sexual violence. The moderating variables for this study includes gender,membership on an athletic team or in a fraternity, knowing someone who had been sexuallyassaulted, own victimization or participation in an earlier sexual assault prevention program intheir community.
Status | Finished |
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Effective start/end date | 8/1/10 → 7/31/14 |