Examining an Integrated Bystander and Alcohol Program for Sexual Assault Perpetration: A Preliminary Randomized Controlled Trial

Although research suggests that sexual assault interventions based on Bystander and Social Norms theory help to reduce sexual assault among college men, these programs do not completely eliminate sexual assault and their effects tend to fade over time. Unfortunately, there is minimal research on whether (1) decreasing alcohol use concurrently decreases sexual assault perpetration among college men and (2) whether alcohol interventions can be incorporated into existing sexual assault programs for college men (i.e., Bystander/Social Norms programs). Therefore, the objective of the proposed project is to conduct a randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing sexual assault perpetration and related outcomes (i.e., bystander behavior; rape myth acceptance) for men who receive a group alcohol intervention only to men who receive a group integrated alcohol and sexual assault intervention. Specifically, the alcohol only intervention will consist of the Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students (BASICS), an empirically-supported intervention for college student drinking. The integrated alcohol and sexual assault intervention, which we have termed Ohio University's Combined Alcohol and Normative Intervention program (OU CAN), will be modeled after BASICS and empirically-supported Bystander and Social Norms interventions for sexual assault. The current study will recruit 100 college men who are sanctioned by their university to receive an alcohol intervention for violating a campus alcohol policy: by definition an indicated and at-risk population for sexual assault perpetration. Men will be followed for 6 months to determine the effects of the intervention on sexual assault perpetration and other primary outcomes (e.g., bystander behavior).