Preventing Sexual Aggression Among High School Boys

The present research advances the science of sexual assault prevention by creating a mutually
beneficial partnership between well-established sexual assault prevention researchers and a
CDC Rape Prevention and Education Program (RPE)-funded community agency to conduct a rigorous
experimental evaluation of universal primary prevention programming designed to reduce sexual
aggression among high school boys. The present research tests multi-session prevention
programming that targets change at multiple levels of the social ecology (i.e., individual-,
peer- and community-level) through social norms theory and bystander education. Specifically,
the present research evaluates Your Voice Your View. Your Voice Your View was developed and
is currently administered in Rhode Island High Schools by the CDC RPE-funded agency Day One
of Rhode Island. The program will be tested in a group randomized cluster trial among 10th
graders at 30 high schools, with the aim of reducing perpetration of sexual aggression among
high school boys.

Specifically, this research will conduct a randomized controlled trial with a sample of 10th
grade students to demonstrate efficacy of the intervention in reducing rates of sexual
aggression among high school boys, rates of dating violence involvement, and related risk and
protective factors over a 2- and 6-month follow-up in comparison to a wait-list control
group. Thirty schools will be matched on demographic characteristics (i.e., % receiving
subsidized lunch, racial/ethnic minority enrollment) and randomized to receive Your Voice
Your View or to the wait-list control group.

Inclusion Criteria:

- Adolescents at Rhode Island high schools will be eligible for enrollment according to
the following criteria: 1) adolescent assent given; 3) passive consent of a
parent/legal guardian is given. Teachers will be eligible to participate in educator
assessments if consent is given.

Exclusion Criteria:

- There are no exclusion criteria.