James Madison University

"A Man..." Program

Project Description

Located in Harrisonburg, Virginia, James Madison University (JMU) has an enrollment of approximately 15,000 students.

Three approaches are being employed in this project to address male sexual assault prevention: a social norms marketing campaign, intentional educational programs, and male peer-to-peer education. Year One of this project was completed in the 1999-2000 academic year and involved a quasi-experimental design. Berkowitz (1992) suggests that since most of the factors that facilitate male sexual coercion are learned in all male groups, prevention programs should be delivered by men to all-male groups. Four all-male student groups were recruited, but received no specific interventions for use as a comparison group. Four additional all-male organizations were recruited to serve as treatment groups. These groups posted social norms marketing flyers in their living and working areas and attended two educational programs: Dr. Christopher Kilmartin’s play, Crimes Against Nature, which addresses male socialization issues, and a presentation by a male peer education group. Comparison of the 10 behavioral items on the pre and post-test surveys indicates positive behavioral change among members of the treatment group and negative behavioral change among members of the comparison group.

Funding Source

This project is funded by a grant from the Virginia Department of Health.

Project Goal

By May 2002, after full implementation of a social norms marketing campaign and integrated, intentional programming, JMU students will experience a 10% decrease in inappropriate sexual behaviors as measured by the Sexual Experiences Survey (Koss & Gidyz, 1985) and archival data on sexual assaults reported formally and informally.

Project Objectives

  1. By May 2000, men in the four treatment groups will experience a 10% reduction in their perception of peer acceptance of and engagement in coercive sexual behaviors and attitudes as measured by the College Date Rape Attitudes and Behavior Survey (Lanier and Elliot, 1997) and Discomfort with Sexism Scale (Kilmartin, 1999).
  2. By May 2000, men in the four treatment groups will decrease their acceptance of and engagement in coercive sexual behaviors by 10% as measured by the College Date Rape Attitudes and Behavior Survey (CDRABS) and Discomfort with Sexism Scale (DSS).
  3. By December 2000, JMU men will experience a 10% reduction in their perception of peer acceptance of and engagement in coercive sexual behaviors and attitudes as measured by the CDRABS/DSS.
  4. By December 2000, JMU men will decrease their acceptance of and engagement in coercive sexual behaviors by 10% as measured by the CDRABS/DSS.

Data Collection

The College Date Rape Attitudes and Behavior Survey (CDRABS) measures men’s rape-supportive attitudes and behaviors. The CDRABS instrument was adapted with the authors’ permission to also assess perception of the "average JMU male’s" attitudes and behaviors. The Discomfort with Sexism Scale (DSS) examines men’s level of comfort in sexist situations. Several of the items in the DSS were adapted with the author’s permission to reflect local student language and situations. Six additional questions were added to examine bystander and other rape-supportive behaviors. The resulting 82-item CDRABS/DSS instrument was administered to eight all-male organizations during the last week of October 1999. In November 1999, students in eleven academic classes completed the first 41 questions of the CDRABS/DSS (assessing their own attitudes and behaviors) and students in another eleven classes completed the last 41 questions of the CDRABS/DSS (assessing their perceptions of how the "average JMU male student" would respond). Including those in the eight all-male organizations, a total of 425 men and 304 women completed the CDRABS/DSS assessing their own behaviors and attitudes. Four hundred and sixty-four men and 367 women completed the sections assessing their perceptions of how the average JMU male would complete the questionnaire. Data from women was used for comparison purposes. (A copy of the instrument can be found in Appendix A of Year One Report, the full text of which is available on the web site provided below under "Further Information.")

Two all-male focus groups were conducted in the fall of 1999 to examine student perceptions of the campus climate, prevalence of rape myths, and healthy normative beliefs and behaviors. Men were recruited through e-mail sent to a random sample of 300 male students. As an incentive, each participant received $10 for participating in the focus group. The focus group script can be found in Appendix B. A central theme was a belief that the best way to talk to other men about sexual assault prevention is to focus on 1) male self-control, 2) avoiding the use of alcohol, and 3) the importance of communication in relationships. As a result of this information, the researchers sought normative data from the CDRABS/DSS that addressed these three areas.

Normative Messages

  • A Man Respects a Woman: 9 out of 10 JMU men stop the first time their date says ‘no’ to sexual activity.
  • A Man Always Prevents Manipulation: 3 out of 4 men think it’s NOT okay to pressure a date to drink alcohol in order to improve their chances of getting their date to have sex.
  • A Man Talks Before Romance: Most JMU men believe talking about sex doesn’t destroy the romance of the moment. Talking about it can make sure you have consent.

Evaluation and Project Results (to date)

Year One Evaluation

One of the treatment groups is no longer affiliated with the university and another group chose not to schedule the male peer educational program or to administer the post-test. The CDRABS/DSS survey was administered to the four comparison groups and two remaining treatment groups during the last two weeks of April 2000 to determine changes in coercive behaviors and perceived peer acceptance of such behaviors. Five additional questions were added to assess which treatment (or other) programs the students attended and to determine if members of the comparison group were exposed to the interventions.

The year one program objectives are:

1. By May 2000, men in the four treatment groups will experience a 10% reduction in their perception of peer acceptance of and engagement in coercive sexual behaviors and attitudes as measured by the CDRABS/DSS.

At the post-test, the treatment groups reported more accurate perceptions of male student behavior, while the perception gap increased for the comparison groups. Although the 10% reduction was not met, it is not known if the treatment groups would have increased their misperceptions over time without the intervention. Although a comparison of the means shows that none of these changes were significant at the .10 level for the comparison group (see Table 2), among the treatment groups, the results show a significant decrease in the percentage of men who believe the average JMU man "has sex when he is intoxicated " (p = .07); "won’t stop sexual activity when asked to if he is already sexually aroused" (p = .06) and "makes out in remotely parked cars" (p = .005).

2. By May 2000, men in the four treatment groups will decrease their acceptance of and engagement in coercive sexual behaviors by 10% as measured by the CDRABS/DSS.

A comparison of the 10 behavioral items on the pre and post-test surveys indicates overall behavioral change in a positive direction among members of the treatment group. A 10% reduction was not met on all items; however, it is not known if the treatment groups would have increased their negative behaviors over time without the intervention. A comparison of the means shows a significant increase in the percentage of men who indicated they "stop the first time my date says ‘no’ to sexual activity" (p = .10) and a significant decrease in the percentage of men who agree that "When I want to touch someone sexually I try it and see how they react" (p = .01). Of the eight remaining questions, four showed some decrease in coercive behavior.

In comparison to the positive results seen in the treatment groups, there was a negative behavioral change among members of the comparison group. The results show a significant increase in the percentage of men who "have sex when my partner is intoxicated" (p = .06) and who indicate "If I could have sex with someone without their permission and no one would ever find out, I would do it" (p = .02). Among the eight remaining behavioral questions, five showed some increase in coercive behaviors.

Project Modifications and Recommendations

The campaign components should be continued in 2000-2001 to continue the positive trends seen in the two treatment groups. The following modifications to the original grant plan are suggested:

Social Norms Marketing Campaign

In Year Two (2000-2001), the social norms marketing campaign will be launched campus-wide by Fall Break. Several studies have shown that men are more comfortable, less defensive and gain greater benefits from single-sex educational programs (Brecklin and Forde [in press}; Earle, 1996; Berkowitz, 1992). For this reason, the "A Man" social norms marketing campaign will be displayed in primarily male-only areas (e.g., locker rooms, bathrooms, all-male residence hall floors and fraternity houses). If displayed in predominately mixed-gender areas (e.g., Breeze ads, flyers in busses, residence hall common areas, classrooms) the result may be greater defensiveness by men and less social pressure by men to take responsibility for sexual assault.

For a complete description of suggested modifications to supporting programs (faculty/advisor guide, peer education program, etc.) see pages 10-11 of the Year One Report available on the website of the "A Man..." Program, a link to which is available below.

Project Director

This project was initially under the direction of:
Susan Bruce
Director, Center for Alcohol and Substance Education
University of Virginia
P.O. Box 800139
Charlottesville, VA 22908
[email protected]

Further Information

See The "A Man..." Program of the University Health Center of James Madison University

Contents of the site include:

  • Full Year One Review of the A Man program
  • Flyer evaluation form
  • Focus group consent form
  • Focus group questions on media and bystandwer behavior
  • Focus group questions on positive norms and bystander behavior
  • JMU attitudes and behavior survey

Sample media available at this site include the flyers:

Note: The text of this project description was drawn from the above-referenced Full Year One Review ("A Man..." Sexual Assault Education for Men: A Socio-Cultural Approach), which was prepared by Susan Bruce.

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