A meta-analysis of rape education programs

Area of Science:

• Social Psychology
• Public Health
• Education

Background:

• College students are a key demographic for rape prevention education.
• Understanding factors influencing attitude change is crucial for program efficacy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify characteristics of rape education programs associated with positive attitude change in college students.
• To analyze the impact of study type, time, and group composition on intervention outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Meta-analysis of evaluation studies on rape education programs.
• Linear regression analyses to examine relationships between program characteristics and attitude change.

Main Results:

• Published studies demonstrated greater rape-supportive attitude change compared to unpublished works.
• A decline in attitude change was observed over time.
• Men in mixed-gender groups showed less attitude change than those in single-gender groups.

Conclusions:

• The quality of research dissemination (publication) impacts perceived program effectiveness.
• Program effectiveness may diminish over time, necessitating updated interventions.
• Single-gender interventions may be more effective for men in altering rape-supportive attitudes.