RealConsent: Efficacy of a Web-based Sexual Violence Risk Reduction Program for Female College Students
Study Details
Study Description
Brief Summary
This study evaluates the efficacy of a web-based program for female college freshmen ("RealConsent") in reducing their risk of sexual violence victimization. Half the participants will receive RealConsent-F and half will receive an attention-placebo control ("Stress and Mood Management").
| Condition or Disease | Intervention/Treatment | Phase |
|---|---|---|
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N/A |
Detailed Description
Sexual assault of college women is a serious and complex public health problem: one in five college women report being sexually assaulted. The purpose of this study is to conduct a randomized controlled trial study with 750 female college students from three universities to test the efficacy of RealConsent, a sexual violence risk reduction program for college women, compared to an attention-placebo control. RealConsent is a multi-media 3-hour program based on social cognitive theory and alcohol myopia theory. The primary outcome will be self-reported sexual violence victimization and the secondary outcomes will be alcohol and dating protective- and risk-related behaviors and resistance strategies. The investigators expect that women in the treatment group will report less sexual violence victimization than women in the control group. Expected outcomes are demonstrated feasibility and efficacy of a technologically novel risk reduction program for female college students.
Study Design
Arms and Interventions
| Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
|---|---|
| Experimental: RealConsent A 3-hour web-based program designed to teach female college freshmen strategies to reduce their risk of sexual violence victimization. |
Behavioral: RealConsent
This 3-hour web-based program consists of four 45-minute modules that are interactive and range in number of segments (1-14) and types of activities. Each of the modules involves interactivity, didactic activities and two episodes of a serial drama ("Squad"), which allow for the modeling of positive behaviors and illustrate both positive and negative outcome expectations. Behaviors modeled include drinking safely (e.g., eating before drinking, pacing, and drinking water), having a game plan before going out, communicating with male sex partners, engaging in protective dating behaviors, use of resistance strategies, self-defense strategies and bystander intervention with the goal of reducing risk of being sexually assaulted.
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| Placebo Comparator: Stress and Mood Management A 3-hour general mental health web-based program. |
Behavioral: Stress and Mood Management
This 3-hour general health promotion web-based program consists of four 45-minute modules ("Stress Management", "Managing Depression", "Managing Anxiety", and "Treatments that work") that provide a range of activities related to reducing day-to day stress and alleviating anxiety through meditation and exercise.
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Outcome Measures
Primary Outcome Measures
- Sexual Violence Victimization [6 months]
Sexual Victimization will be assessed with the Sexual Experiences Survey- Short Form Victimization(SFV) (SES-SFV). The SES-SFV, a revision of the original 1982 Sexual Experiences Survey (SES), is the most widely used measure in sexual assault research and has high reliability and validity. Completed sexual assault (rape) will have occurred when a participant indicates she has had at least one experience of sexual intercourse (oral, anal, or vaginal) that was threatened, forced, or drugged (completed-not attempted). This will entail answering ' once' or more to any of 9 questions (involving oral sex, vaginal penetration, and/or anal penetration " without consent" when the woman was " too drunk or out of it to stop what was happening" , was threatened with physical harm to herself or others she cares about, and/or was forced, " for example holding me down with their body weight, pinning my arms, or having a weapon" ).
Secondary Outcome Measures
- Alcohol Protective Behaviors [6 months]
Alcohol protective behaviors (PBS) will be assessed with 15 items from the Protective Behavioral Strategies, with answer choices ranging on a 5-point scale (1) Always to (5) Never. Participants will be asked while using alcohol or "partying" whether they engaged in behaviors (e.g. "determine not to exceed a set number of drinks," "avoid mixing different types of alcohol," and "know where your drink had been at all times"). Items will be averaged for a total drinking PBS score.
- Sexual Assault Protective Behaviors [6 months]
Sexual assault protective behaviors will be assessed using a revised version of the Dating Self-Protection against Rape Scale, which consists of 15 items. Participants indicate how often they have engaged in behaviors (e.g., "provide your own transportation" and "meet in a public place instead of a private place") when they are with a date or with someone who is sexually interested in them. Answer choices range on a 5-point scale (1) Never to (5) Always.
Eligibility Criteria
Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
- female, aged 18-20 years, full-time freshmen, matriculated at Georgia State University, Emory University, or University of Georgia, and single (i.e., not in a committed dating relationship).
Exclusion Criteria:
- other education levels, married, and/or graduate status
Contacts and Locations
Locations
| Site | City | State | Country | Postal Code | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georgia State University | Atlanta | Georgia | United States | 30303 |
Sponsors and Collaborators
- Georgia State University
- Behavioral Science Technologies, LLC
Investigators
- Principal Investigator: Laura F. Salazar, PhD, Georgia State University
- Study Director: Anne Marie Schipani-McLaughlin, PhD, Georgia State University
- Study Chair: George Cavagnaro, MBA, Behavioral Science Technologies, LLC
Study Documents (Full-Text)
More Information
Publications
None provided.- 5R42AA025817-03