Programs to prevent sexual violence show no evidence of curbing assaults, analysis finds

[Pelican Press 0]

Programs to prevent ******* ********* show no evidence of curbing assaults, analysis finds

Ideas and behavior over time (1985–2018). Credit: Psychological Science in the Public Interest (2024). DOI: 10.1177/15291006231221978

******* ********* prevention programs effectively change ideas and beliefs that underscore assaults, but show no evidence of reducing their actual occurrence, a new comprehensive analysis shows.

The findings are

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

in Psychological Science in the Public Interest.

Researchers led by behavioral scientist Roni Porat of Hebrew University challenge the assumption that changing people’s thoughts about ******* ********* will change their actual behavior. They call on scientists to study more behavior-centered approaches to reducing ******* assaults.

“The prevailing model for how to go about reducing ******* ********* does not appear to be a fruitful one,” the authors report. “Unfortunately, we do not have strong evidence to suggest that changes in attitudes, norms and beliefs that result from the tested interventions have positive downstream consequences for preventing perpetration.”

Porat’s co-authors include APS Fellow Betsy Levy Paluck of Princeton University, social psychologist Ana Gantman of Brooklyn College (CUNY), and researchers Seth Ariel Green of Princeton, and John-Henry Pezzuto of University of California, San Diego.

The researchers gathered data from 331 scientific evaluations of *******-********* prevention interventions. The studies, spanning more than three decades, occurred in various settings, including college campuses, high schools and middle schools and workplaces.

Nearly 90% of those studies were conducted in the ******* States, with the rest occurring in Canada, Europe, ******* and *******. About 67% of the studies involved interventions targeting both men and women. Nearly every program studied centered on what people believe about ******* *********, including what constitutes ******* ********* and what they can do to stop it.

“For example, ***** myths, like ‘some women say no when they mean yes,’ are a very frequent target of intervention,” the authors say.

The researchers examined studies on programs that educate men on the gravity of ******* *********, and adolescents about dating ********* and relationship skills. They also noted a rise over the years in programs designed to encourage bystanders to stop acts of ******* ********* (e.g., speaking against sexist or violent language, walking an intoxicated friend home).

Less than 20% of the studies analyzed included measures of behavior following the interventions. Many of those studies involved asking participants about ******* behaviors or bystander behaviors.

Although the analysis showed that intervention programs helped increase knowledge about ******* ********* and empathy and support for victims, none led to meaningful changes in rates of ******* assaults.

“We find that existing ******* ********* interventions are indeed effective for changing ideas like ***** myth acceptance, but not for changing behavior—the ultimate goal of any prevention intervention,” the authors said.

The authors suggest more research evaluating the impact of geographic or environmental measures, such as the creation of communal spaces that make it difficult for perpetrators to victimize someone.

“We hope to spark creativity,” Porat and colleagues said, “to get people thinking beyond approaches that seek only to change what is in people’s heads and hope that changed behavior will follow.”

In a

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

accompanying the report, Elise C. Lopez and Mary Koss, University of Arizona scholars who study ******* ********* and its prevention, implore researchers, educators and public policymakers to reevaluate the basic tenets that underscore existing prevention programs. They also suggest K-12 education prevention programs include practical behavioral skills for having consensual ****.

“Progress will be stifled,” they argue, “until public policy, public opinion and funding mechanisms catch up to a shift in thinking about the fundamental assumptions of effective prevention.”

More information:
Roni Porat et al, Preventing ******* *********: A Behavioral Problem Without a Behaviorally Informed Solution, Psychological Science in the Public Interest (2024).

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

Elise C. Lopez et al, Comment on Porat et al. (2024): “Preventing ******* *********: A Behavioral Problem Without a Behaviorally Informed Solution”, Psychological Science in the Public Interest (2024).

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

Provided by
Association for Psychological Science

Citation:
Programs to prevent ******* ********* show no evidence of curbing assaults, analysis finds (2024, June 5)
retrieved 5 June 2024
from

This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no
part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

Science, Physics News, Science news, Technology News, Physics, Materials, Nanotech, Technology, Science
#Programs #prevent #******* #********* #show #evidence #curbing #assaults #analysis #finds

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

For verified travel tips and real support, visit: https://hopzone.eu/