Enhancing Women's Resistance to Sexual Coercion: A Randomized Controlled Trial of the DATE Program

OBJECTIVE: Despite extensive efforts to develop sexual assault prevention programs for college women, few have been rigorously evaluated, and fewer have demonstrable effects on victimization. This study pilots the Dating Assertiveness Training Experience (DATE), designed to train young women in assertiveness skills for responding to sexual coercion and to provide them opportunities to practice these skills in a safe environment. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred thirty-nine female college students from a private university in the Southwest. METHODS: Participants were randomly assigned to DATE or a no-treatment control group. Sexual victimization and response to acts of sexual aggression were assessed prior to randomization, after intervention, and monthly for 3 months. RESULTS: Women who completed DATE were less likely to be victimized than women in the control condition; those who were victimized were more likely to respond assertively. CONCLUSIONS: Assertiveness training for resisting sexual coercion holds promise for reducing sexual victimization of young women.