Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Sexual Harassment Victimization Among Girls on an Indian Reservation: An Examination of Rates and Risk and Protective Factors.

We documented the scope and correlates of past 6-month victimization among middle and high school girls on an Indian Reservation. Participants were 102 Native American girls in Grades 6-12. Rates of all forms of past 6-month victimization were higher for high school girls compared with middle school girls. In regression analyses, binge drinking related to higher rates of sexual assault and sexual harassment. Furthermore, connection to culture related to lower rates of sexual harassment, and efficacy to resist a sexual assault was related to lower rates of sexual assault and sexual harassment.

An examination of bystander opportunity and behavior among adolescents on an Indian reservation.

OBJECTIVE: The present study documented the extent to which Native American youth reported opportunities to intervene in situations of sexual assault and harassment, the types of behaviors that youth engaged in when given the opportunity to intervene, and whether youth were engaging in proactive behaviors to change social norms to be intolerant of these forms of aggression. METHOD: Data come from a survey of 144 Native American middle and high school youth living on an Indian reservation. RESULTS: Analyses revealed that in the past 6 months, 59.1% of participants had opportunity to intervene in a sexual assault and harassment. Opportunity to intervene in sexual assault or harassment was associated with lower feelings of mattering and being older. Among participants who reported bystander opportunity to intervene in sexual assault or harassment, 26.3% reported engaging in positive bystander behavior (e.g., trying to get help or using distraction to help). A closer connection to culture was related to a higher likelihood of engaging in positive bystander action. Roughly half of the participants reported engaging in proactive bystander behavior (e.g., efforts to promote intolerance of these forms of aggression) even in the absence of opportunity. Older youth were more likely to engage in proactive bystander behavior than younger youth. CONCLUSIONS: Bystander-focused programs may be an effective tool to prevent sexual harassment and sexual assault among Native American youth, especially those that include culturally relevant content that helps to strength connections to culture and equipping younger youth with skills to engage in proactive bystander behavior. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

"I learned that I am worth defending": A process evaluation of a sexual assault prevention program implemented on an Indian reservation.

A great deal of programming has been developed to prevent sexual assault (SA) among adolescents. Few studies examine programming implementation among minority groups and present information about program acceptability among participants and community stakeholders. The purpose of the current study was to examine the acceptability of implementing an empowerment SA self-defense program for adolescent girls on an Indian reservation. Data for the study came from posttest surveys of Native American adolescent girls who participated in an SA prevention program (N = 102) and interviews with community stakeholders, including program participants (N = 18). Results showed that acceptability was high among program participants and community stakeholders. Program participants noted that they liked the program overall and liked components of the programming. Participants noted that they disliked pressure to participate, program length, and missing class. Among community stakeholders, all expressed an overall positive impression of the program, felt that the program had a positive impact on program participants, and appreciated that girls learned to use refusal skills. Community stakeholders provided several programming improvement ideas such as incorporating culturally specific content into the program for future implementation. These findings can be used by other researchers, schools, and practitioners implementing prevention programs with Native American girls.

Efficacy of a Sexual Abuse Prevention Program with Children on an Indian Reservation.

American Indian youth experience high rates of child sexual abuse (CSA). To date, however, we are aware of no programs that have assessed outcomes associated with an evidence-based CSA prevention program among American Indian children. The purpose of the proposed study was to assess the preliminary acceptability and efficacy of IMpower, a 12-hour curriculum that teaches children how to identify their anatomy, recognize risk, say "no," and tell others if they are being hurt. Using a non-randomized, single-arm pilot trial methodology (N = 48 4th and 5th graders), we found that some domains of children's knowledge of CSA as well as their efficacy to resist an attack increased from pre- to posttest. Moreover, 83% of children reported that they liked IMpower, and 96% of children reported that IMpower helped keep them safe. These data provide preliminary evidence that IMpower is an acceptable and effective CSA prevention initiative that requires further evaluation with American Indian children.