Advancing a Comprehensive Multilevel Approach to Sexual Violence Prevention Using Existing Efficacious Programs

Abstract

Sexual violence (SV) is a serious and long-standing public health problem on college campuses. At institutions of higher education, campus administrators, activists, and practitioners have worked for decades to address campus SV. Despite federally mandated campus SV prevention programming, rates of campus SV remain unchanged. The purpose of this commentary is to outline a strategy for enhancing campus SV prevention efforts using a comprehensive multilevel approach utilizing existing efficacious programs. The following three strategies for implementing optimal campus SV prevention are proposed, which include (a) the need to prioritize efficacy, (b) targeting multiple levels of the social ecology, and (c) leveraging the benefits of in-person programming and technology-driven prevention. A call to action is included for both institutions of higher education administrators and practitioners to implement and invest in comprehensive multilevel interventions using existing, efficacious SV programs, ideally combining a technology-based program with an in-person component. Furthermore, a coordinated effort between prevention and response is needed to achieve successful prevention of campus SV and revictimization, including a connection with the community for postassault interventions. Thus, implementing multilevel interventions on college campuses using existing evidence-based programs in combination with a coordinated community response of postassault interventions can bring the campus community together and is optimal to moving the needle on rates of campus SV.

Acceptability of RealConsent: A Sexual Violence Web-Based Risk Reduction Program for College Women

“…RealConsent was tested in a randomized clinical trial and was found to be efficacious in reducing SV revictimization, binge drinking, and increasing bystander intervention (Salazar et al, 2023). Unlike inperson SV prevention programs that require training, personnel, space, and resources for implementation, students can complete RealConsent at their own pace on their own devices (Salazar et al, 2023;Schipani-McLaughlin et al, 2023). Thus, RealConsent has the potential to be easily disseminated to thousands of first-year college women with minimal burden on administrators to implement the program.…”