Sexual Assault Prevention: A Randomized Control Trial of a Standard Military Intervention and a Motivational Interview Enhancement

Despite increased efforts to prevent sexual assault in military environments, the problem continues at an alarming rate. Sexual assault prevention programs (SAPP) attempt to respond to this issue, yet little is known about their effectiveness within a military environment. This randomized controlled trial examined the potential efficacy of the 2015 United States Air Force (USAF) SAPP compared to that same program with an additional motivational interviewing (MI) enhancement. The MI enhancement involved both self-guided and group discussions designed to elicit change talk toward preventing sexual assault through bystander interventions. Research questions included the general efficacy of the USAF's SAPP in shifting factors linked to sexual assault, specifically participants' endorsement of beliefs associated with sexual assault, beliefs eceived the pretest via e-mailabout intervening as a bystander when confronted with a hypothetical sexual assault situation, and participants' reported willingness to intervene to stop a sexual assault. Fifty-one college students participated, of whom 64% had a history of military involvement. Primary outcome measures included bystanders' willingness and confidence to intervene as well as indicators of rape myth acceptance. Participants in the standard USAF SAPP showed no significant change in willingness or confidence to intervene as bystanders from pretest to posttest. By contrast, those who received a relatively short MI enhancement showed statistically significant increases in their willingness to intervene as bystanders. Neither group showed changes in sexual assault myths. Enhancing SAPPs with a motivational enhancement effort seems justified, especially given the relative low resources involved in introducing such a program.