Sexual assault is associated with a range of poor mental health outcomes. To enhance access to care by this population, technology-based mental health interventions have been implemented in the emergency room; however, more accessible and easily disseminated interventions are needed. The aim of the present study was to test the usability of a mobile health intervention targeting alcohol and drug misuse, suicide prevention, posttraumatic stress symptoms, coping skills, and referral to formal assistance for individuals who have experienced sexual assault. Feedback on the usability of the intervention was collected from individuals who received a sexual assault medical forensic examination (n = 13), and feedback on the usability and likelihood of recommending the application was collected from community providers (n = 25). Thematic analysis was used to describe qualitative data. Content themes related to aesthetics, usability, barriers to resources, and likes/dislikes about the intervention arose from interviews following the intervention. Participants found the intervention to be user friendly and endorsed more likes than dislikes. Providers rated the intervention as being helpful and would recommend it to survivors of sexual assault. Findings suggest that the intervention is usable and fit for future effectiveness testing, filling an important gap in treatment for individuals who experience sexual assault.

Despite the prevalence of sexual assault on college campuses, few interventions aimed at decreasing college men's proclivity to perpetrate sexual aggression have been developed and tested. This article details the theoretical framework, content, and piloting of a sexual assault prevention program for college men who engage in heavy drinking, a high-risk group who may be particularly well positioned to intervene as proactive bystanders in drinking environments. In an open trial, male facilitators delivered the three-session Sexual Assault and Alcohol Feedback and Education (SAFE) program to 25 heavy drinking college men. Session 1 was a 90-min review of personalized normative feedback regarding alcohol use, sexual activity, alcohol-related sexual consequences, understanding of consent, and engagement in bystander intervention, delivered individually in a motivational interviewing style. Session 2 was a 2½-hr group-based sexual assault prevention workshop focusing on social norms, empathy, masculinity, consent, and bystander intervention. Session 3 was a 90-min booster group session that reviewed previous topics and included the active practice of bystander intervention skills. Analyses of postsession assessments of utility, therapeutic alliance, and satisfaction and examination of alcohol use and sexual assault-related outcomes from baseline to the 2-month assessment support the preliminary feasibility and acceptability of the SAFE program.

This study qualitatively examines how heavy-drinking college men conceptualize bystander intervention. Twelve semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with college men reporting past-month heavy drinking and sexual activity within the past 2 months. NVivo software was used to conduct a thematic analysis. Following the stage model of bystander intervention, men in this sample described situations-predominantly in drinking contexts-when other men made sexual advances toward women who were not interested or who were intoxicated as opportunities for intervention. Men reported relying on women's expression of verbal and nonverbal cues as a sign that a situation was problematic, and warranting intervention. Men reported a desire to protect women from experiencing a sexual assault, or to protect a peer from being accused of rape. Men perceived themselves to be more likely to assume responsibility for intervening when the situation involved someone they knew, especially a female friend. A variety of intervention strategies were also reported. Preliminary support was offered for considering alcohol myopia as a barrier to intervention. The interviews also provided preliminary support for further investigation into the role of alcohol expectancies regarding "liquid courage" and "aggression" as factors that can influence bystander intervention when intoxicated. Implications for future research and the development of tailored sexual assault prevention efforts for heavy-drinking men are discussed.