This study evaluated the effectiveness of a 6-session (12-hour) empowerment self-defense classroom delivered curriculum (i.e., IMpower) among American Indian girls. Girls (N = 74) in one middle school and two high schools on an Indian Reservation in the Great Plains region of the United States received the intervention and completed a pre-test and a post-test six months following the final program session. The surveys administered assessed hypothesized intermediary (i.e., efficacy to resist a sexual assault, self-defense knowledge), primary (i.e., sexual violence victimization), and secondary (i.e., physical dating violence, sexual harassment) outcomes. Native American girls (N = 181) in five middle schools and three high schools in a nearby city where there was no sexual assault prevention occurring completed surveys assessing sexual violence, physical dating violence, and sexual harassment victimization approximately six months apart, thus serving as a comparison to girls in the treatment condition on primary and secondary outcomes. Girls exposed to the IMpower program reported significant increases over time in efficacy to resist a sexual assault and knowledge of effective resistance strategies. Furthermore, propensity score analyses suggested that girls who received the IMpower program reported significantly fewer types of sexual assault and sexual harassment at follow-up compared to girls in the control condition. However, no effect was found for physical dating violence. These data suggest that empowerment self-defense is a promising approach in preventing sexual assault and sexual harassment among American Indian girls.

本研究评估了美国印第安女孩在 6 节（12 小时）授权自卫课堂上提供的课程（即IMpower ）的有效性。 美国大平原地区印第安人保留地的一所中学和两所高中的女孩 ( N = 74) 接受了干预，并在最后一次计划会议后六个月完成了一项前测和后测。所进行的调查评估了假设的中介（即抵抗性侵犯的效力、自卫知识）、主要（即性暴力受害）和次要（即身体约会暴力、性骚扰）结果。美国原住民女孩（N = 181) 在附近城市的 5 所中学和 3 所高中没有发生性侵犯预防措施的情况下，他们完成了评估性暴力、约会暴力和性骚扰受害的调查，大约相隔 6 个月，因此可以与当地的女孩进行比较主要和次要结果的治疗条件。接触IMpower计划的女孩报告说，随着时间的推移，抵抗性侵犯的效力和有效抵抗策略的知识显着增加。此外，倾向评分分析表明，接受IMpower的女孩与对照组相比，该计划报告的后续性侵犯和性骚扰类型显着减少。然而，没有发现身体约会暴力的效果。这些数据表明，赋权自卫是防止美国印第安女孩遭受性侵犯和性骚扰的一种很有前途的方法。