An Evaluation of a Sexual Assault Resistance Program for Adolescent Girls

Summary

Sexual violence (SV) perpetrated by dating partners and male acquaintances is common among adolescent girls in high school. Girls and young women who experience SV are likely to encounter negative mental and physical health consequences as well as lowered academic performance. While educational interventions to address the problem of SV are numerous, when evaluated, few show any capacity to reduce sexual violence victimization or perpetration. The Enhanced Assess, Acknowledge, Act (EAAA) sexual assault resistance program for female university students (ages 17-24) is a rare exception; in a rigorous trial, EAAA reduced attempted and completed rape by 50% in the following year. The current randomized controlled trial (RCT) will test whether a version of EAAA that has been adapted for younger girls (age 14-18) who have not graduated high school (called the Adolescent Enhanced Assess, Acknowledge, Act \[A-EAAA\]) will result in similar benefits within a 6-month follow-up. The current RCT will be conducted across three sites in Ontario, Canada.

Conditions

• Sexual Assault

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

A-EAAA Sexual Assault Resistance Education Program immediately

Adapted from the EAAA program created for university women, A-EAAA is designed for teen girls of all sexual identities and experience levels. It focuses on resisting sexual assault (SA) committed by male acquaintances with 4, 3-hour units: Unit 1(Assess) strengthens girls' ability to detect risk in contexts involving male acquaintances and helps develop strategies to reduce it. Unit 2(Acknowledge) helps girls explore ways to overcome their own emotional barriers preventing them from acknowledging risk and employing effective resistance strategies with males they know. Unit 3(Act) provides evidence on effectiveness of various resistance strategies and teaches verbal and physical self-defense focused on common acquaintance SA situations. Unit 4 (Relationships\&Sexuality) is an adaptation of Our Whole Lives curriculum and aims to increase girls' comfort talking about sex/sexuality and identify their sexual values/desires and explore possibilities for sexual practices beyond intercourse.

BEHAVIORAL

Usual care + A-EAAA at 6 months

Participants assigned to the waitlist control group will immediately receive a brief educational session on sexual assault that represents the current 'standard of care' at Canadian high schools (often presented by local Sexual Assault Centres or Public Health nurses). This 30-min session will involve a brief 15 - 20-minute presentation on sexual consent, respect in relationships, and sexual assault (e.g., definitions, prevalence statistics). This will be conducted by a well-trained and knowledgeable Research Assistant. Following the presentation, participants will be invited to take and read brochures provided on sexual assault, and to ask questions about the content of the presentation and brochures. At 6-months, participants will be scheduled to receive A-EAAA.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC)

  collaborator OTHER_GOV

• University of Windsor

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Charlene Y Senn, PhD · University of Windsor

• Sara E Crann, PhD · University of Windsor

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

14 Years

Max Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2023-03-18

Primary Completion

2025-06-23

Completion

2026-02-03

Countries

• Canada

Study Locations