Examining an Integrated Bystander and Alcohol Program for Sexual Assault Perpetration: A Preliminary Randomized Controlled Trial, Midwestern U.S., 2017-2019

In this study, the research team conducted a randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing sexual assault perpetration and related outcomes (i.e., bystander behavior, rape myth acceptance) for men who received a alcohol-only group intervention to men who received an integrated alcohol and sexual assault group intervention. Specifically, the alcohol-only intervention consisted 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, termed the Alcohol and Relationships Group, was modeled after BASICS and empirically-supported Bystander and Social Norms interventions for sexual assault. The research aims for this study were: To examine whether reductions in alcohol use predict reductions in sexual assault perpetration over the course of a 6-month follow-up period To examine whether men randomized to the integrated intervention have superior sexual assault outcomes (reduced sexual assault perpetration, increased active bystander behaviors, reduced endorsement of unhealthy sexual social norms, and reduced rape myth acceptance) relative to men randomized to BASICS only The current study recruited 93 college men who were 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 were followed for 6 months to determine the effects of the intervention on sexual assault perpetration and other primary outcomes (e.g., bystander behavior). Measures were taken at baseline, at 3 months, and at 6 months.