Preventing Sexual Aggression among University Students: An Online Intervention Study

性侵犯被定义为未经同意的性接触，在年轻人中是一个普遍存在的问题，大约五分之一的女性和较低但相当大比例的男性报告有过受害经历。然而，缺乏有效的、循证的预防计划。拟议的项目将制定和评估一项干预措施，以防止大学生中的性侵犯行为和受害行为。通过将实验评估与纵向设计相结合，不仅可以评估干预的效果，而且可以评估关于干预所针对的风险因素对性侵犯受害和实施可能性的因果影响的假设。基于过去对性侵犯流行率以及实施的风险因素和受害的易受伤害因素的研究，该项目将包括2018/19学年开始上大学的一年级学生，并在第一年(+8个月)和第二年(+12个月)结束时跟踪他们两次跟踪数据波，总共涵盖20个月。这种基于理论的干预以改变双方同意的性行为的性脚本为中心，因为这些认知表征已被证明在预测性攻击方面发挥着决定性作用。性爱剧本被认为是危险的，因为它们包含与性侵犯、实施和/或受害的可能性增加有关的因素。这些因素包括饮酒、模棱两可的交流模式以及与临时伴侣的性接触，这些因素都会影响性行为。此外，干预将对象性相关的认知(性自尊、接受性胁迫)和行为(性自信、使用色情)。这些内容将分六个单元以在线形式每周提交一次，其中包括基线评估、干预一周后的干预后评估以及在第一年和第二年研究结束时的两次后续行动。在每一波中，干预组与未治疗的对照组进行比较。干预组中性侵犯、受害和犯罪的几率降低是关键的结果变量。该项目采取性别包容的办法，考虑到受害者和施暴者的男女角色，并根据参与者的性别和性经验背景(异性和/或同性性接触)调整干预措施。

Sexual aggression, defined as sexual contact without consent, is a widespread problem among young people, with about one in five women and a lower, yet substantial proportion of men reporting victimization experiences. However, there is a lack of effective, evidence-based prevention programs. The proposed project will develop and evaluate an intervention to prevent sexual aggression perpetration and victimization among university students. By combining an experimental evaluation with a longitudinal design, it is possible not only to assess the efficacy of the intervention but also to evaluate hypotheses about the causal impact of the risk factors targeted by the intervention on the probability of sexual aggression victimization and perpetration. Based on past research on the prevalence of sexual aggression as well as risk factors of perpetration and vulnerability factors of victimization, the program will include first-year students starting university in the academic year 2018/19 and follow them over two follow-up data waves at the end of their first year (+ 8 months) and second year (+ 12 months) of study, covering a total of 20 months. The theory-based intervention centers on changing sexual scripts for consensual sex, as these cognitive representations have been shown to play a decisive role in predicting sexual aggression. Sexual scripts are considered risky to the extent that they contain factors linked to a heightened probability of sexual aggression perpetration and/or victimization. These factors include alcohol use, ambiguous communication pattern, and sexual contacts with casual partners, which inform sexual behavior. In addition, the intervention will target sexuality-related cognitions (sexual self-esteem, acceptance of sexual coercion) and behaviors (sexual assertiveness, use of pornography). These elements will be addressed in six modules presented at weekly intervals in an online format, with a baseline assessment, a post-intervention assessment a week after the intervention, and two follow-ups at the end of the first and second year of study. The intervention group will be compared to a non-treated control group at each wave. Reduced odds of sexual aggression victimization and perpetration in the intervention group are the critical outcome variables. The project adopts a gender-inclusive approach by considering males and females in both victim and perpetrator roles and tailoring the intervention to participants’ gender and sexual experience background (opposite and/or same-sex sexual contacts).