No abstract

According to Black et al., one in five women will be raped during their lifetimes. In one national survey, it was found that of 14,989 female college students from nine institutions, 34% reported experiencing a completed or attempted sexual assault in their lifetimes and 21% of them reported that they had experienced a completed or attempted sexual assault as a college student. Therefore, effective sexual assault prevention efforts targeted at men are needed, and several initiatives have been developed. The current study provides a meta-analytic investigation of male-targeted sexual assault prevention interventions. Eligible studies were located from the following databases: Psychological Information Database, Education Resources Information Center, Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online, Google Scholar, Dissertation Abstracts Online, Criminal Justice Abstracts, and reference sections of relevant articles. The weighted mean effect size for between-subjects studies of sexual assault attitudes showed improvement ( d = −0.24, k = 25), and the effect was statistically significant ( p < .001). The weighted mean effect size for between-subjects studies of future inclinations toward engaging in sexually aggressive behavior ( d = −0.20, k = 13, p = .02) and toward engaging in sexual assault prevention behavior ( d = 0.27, k = 10, p = .007) showed statistically significant improvements as well. However, the weighted mean effect sizes for between-subjects studies of rape empathy, sexual assault knowledge, sexual assault–related attitudes, and sexual assault perpetration were nonsignificant. Results show there is significant room for growth, both in terms of practical applications and further research.

We experimentally examined the impact of male undergraduates’ exposure to real antisexual assault injunctive social norms on their attitudes and intentions related to perceived appropriateness of alcohol-facilitated sexual assault, rape myth acceptance, self-perceived likelihood of committing sexual assault, and future intentions to commit sexual coercion. A total of 353 male participants were randomly assigned to three conditions—local injunctive norms (antisexual assault norms based on male undergraduates at their university), general injunctive norms (antisexual assault norms based on men in general), and control. Planned contrast analyses of variance demonstrated that those in the local injunctive norms condition had lower levels of perceived appropriateness of alcohol-facilitated sexual assault, rape myth acceptance, self-perceived likelihood of committing sexual assault, and future intentions to commit sexual coercion. Additionally, past history of sexual aggression perpetration moderated the experiment effects. Specifically, the injunctive local norms and general norms conditions had a greater impact on reduced self-perceived likelihood of committing sexual assault for those higher in past sexual aggression perpetration. These findings have important implications for college-based male-targeted sexual assault prevention, particularly in high-risk sexual assault perpetrators.

What are men's perceptions of the most important masculine norms in the United States? And how are their endorsement of these norms associated with their well-being and gender-related outcomes (e.g., sexism)? Guided by the subjective gender norms model (Wong, Ringo Ho, Wang, & Fisher, 2016), this study investigated 463 U.S. men's (M age ϭ 35.14) subjective masculine norms, defined as perceptions of the most important masculine norms in a group or society. The authors had two goals: (a) identify the most prevalent U.S. subjective masculine norms and (b) evaluate the psychometric properties of a U.S. version of the Subjective Masculine Norms Scale (SMNS), which measures the endorsement of subjective masculine norms. Using directed content analysis of participants' qualitative responses, the authors found that the top five most prevalent subjective masculine norms were emotional toughness, providing for family, avoidance of femininity, being a gentleman, and work. Regarding the psychometric properties of the SMNS, a measurement model with two factors corresponding to prescriptive norms (what men should do) and proscriptive norms (what men should not do) best fit the data. The authors also provided convergent, criterion-related, discriminant, and incremental evidence for the SMNS subscales' validity as well as evidence for their internal consistency. In particular, the SMNS subscales were associated with well-being and gender-related outcomes but not with self-deception enhancement and impression management. The authors conclude by highlighting the distinctiveness of subjective masculine norms, offering an empirical approach to assessing masculine norms in a society or group, and proposing interventions for men based on masculine norms. Public Significance StatementTo better understand contemporary U.S. masculine norms, this study investigated men's subjective masculine norms in the United States, defined as perceptions of the most important masculine norms in U.S. society. The top five most prevalent subjective masculine norms were emotional toughness, providing for family, avoidance of femininity, being a gentleman, and work. Men who endorsed subjective masculine norms reported being happier and less lonely, but also more sexist.

Although research has found that sexual violence is a serious issue on college campuses, the lack of diversity in previous samples calls into question the findings’ generalizability to non-White populations. Consequently, little is known about how Students of Color conceptualize sexual violence. Using an intersectional and phenomenological approach, we examined how Black/African American university women understand sexual violence, as well as their perceptions of cultural barriers to help-seeking and reporting this violence. Seven themes emerged: (a) Historical Legacy of Racialized Trauma Against Black Women, (b) Stereotypes of Hypersexualized Black Women, (c) Silence and Community Protection, (d) Duality of Black Spirituality and/or Religiosity, (e) Racial Injustice and Systemic Barriers to Help-Seeking and Reporting, (f) Stereotypes of Strong Black Women, and (g) Grassroots Healing and Empowerment of Black Communities. We provide recommendations for counselors and university staff to develop culturally grounded campus prevention initiatives for Black women.