This study evaluated the effectiveness of a 6-session (12-hour) empowerment self-defense classroom delivered curriculum (i.e., IMpower) among American Indian girls. Girls ( N = 74) in one middle school and two high schools on an Indian Reservation in the Great Plains region of the United States received the intervention and completed a pre-test and a post-test six months following the final program session. The surveys administered assessed hypothesized intermediary (i.e., efficacy to resist a sexual assault, self-defense knowledge), primary (i.e., sexual violence victimization), and secondary (i.e., physical dating violence, sexual harassment) outcomes. Native American girls ( N = 181) in five middle schools and three high schools in a nearby city where there was no sexual assault prevention occurring completed surveys assessing sexual violence, physical dating violence, and sexual harassment victimization approximately six months apart, thus serving as a comparison to girls in the treatment condition on primary and secondary outcomes. Girls exposed to the IMpower program reported significant increases over time in efficacy to resist a sexual assault and knowledge of effective resistance strategies. Furthermore, propensity score analyses suggested that girls who received the IMpower program reported significantly fewer types of sexual assault and sexual harassment at follow-up compared to girls in the control condition. However, no effect was found for physical dating violence. These data suggest that empowerment self-defense is a promising approach in preventing sexual assault and sexual harassment among American Indian girls.

The purpose of this paper is to document the scope and correlates of past 6-month victimization among American Indian (AI) and Alaska Native (AN) youth. Types of victimization under investigation included sexual assault, dating violence, bullying, sharing of nude photos, sexual harassment, homophobic teasing, and racism. Participants were 400 AI and AN youth in grades 7–10 who completed a survey in school. Results documented concerning rates of all forms of victimization among AI and AN youth during the past 6 months. Although most forms of victimization were related, bullying (at school and electronically), racism, and sexual harassment occurred more often than sexual assault and dating violence. Older youth, girls, and sexual minorities were more likely to report some forms of violence than younger youth, boys, and heterosexual youth respectively. Compared to nonvictims, victim status was consistently related to depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation, and alcohol use and was less consistently correlated with feelings of school mattering. Evidence-based, culturally grounded prevention and response efforts are needed for AI and AN youth, as well as broader initiatives that seek to reduce health disparities among AI and AN youth.

We documented the scope and correlates of past 6-month victimization among middle and high school girls on an Indian Reservation. Participants were 102 Native American girls in Grades 6-12. Rates of all forms of past 6-month victimization were higher for high school girls compared with middle school girls. In regression analyses, binge drinking related to higher rates of sexual assault and sexual harassment. Furthermore, connection to culture related to lower rates of sexual harassment, and efficacy to resist a sexual assault was related to lower rates of sexual assault and sexual harassment.

The purpose of the current study was to explore the reactions of Native American adolescents to participating in survey research on sexual and dating violence. Participants were 149 Native American adolescents who completed a survey in school. Survey items included sexual assault, dating violence, sexual harassment, and demographic questions. At the end of the survey, participants were asked if they were upset by the survey. Results showed that almost a quarter of youth were upset by the survey (24.2%), victims were more likely than non-victims to be upset by the survey, perpetrators were more likely than non-perpetrators to be upset by the survey, and sexual minorities were more likely than non-sexual minorities to be upset by the survey. Sex and age did not emerge as significantly associated with being upset. Participants were asked to describe why they were upset, and a content analysis revealed four categories of responses (i.e., feeling awkward or weird, topic of the survey, reminders, and “other”). Overall, although the research was well tolerated by most of the participants, researchers should consider adding information about what might increase feelings of upset in parental consent and youth assent forms, such as being reminded of a past upsetting experience and/or feeling awkward or weird because of some of the questions.

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