NCJ Number
210053
Journal
Violence and Victims Volume: 19 Issue: 5 Dated: October 2004 Pages: 613-624
Date Published
October 2004
Length
20 pages
Annotation
This study evaluated the effectiveness of a skills-based bibliotherapy approach to sexual assault prevention for college-aged women over a 16-week period.
Abstract
The use of bibliotherapy for a variety of psychological problems has become increasingly widespread in recent years. If shown to be effective, a bibliotherapy approach to sexual assault prevention may be a cost effective approach. The purpose of this study was to develop and assess the effectiveness of a skills-based bibliotherapy approach to sexual assault prevention for college-aged women. The study examined the extent to which the self-help book was effective in changing responses on cognitive and attitudinal measures, the extent to which the self-help book was effective at decreasing rates of sexual assault, and the extent to which participants found the self-help book credible, entertaining, and useful. Two studies were conducted with the first study evaluating the content and validity of the self-help book, and the second study evaluating the skills-based bibliotherapy approach using three measurement points: Time 1 (baseline), Time 2 (week 5), and Time 3 (week 16). Results provide mixed information regarding the effectiveness of the bibliotherapy intervention. However, evidence suggests that the bibliotherapy approach to sexual assault prevention is effective at changing self-reports of some rape-related attitudes and behaviors. It is suggested that the lack of significant findings regarding a reduction in victimization rates as a result of the intervention may be due to several factors. Tables and references