Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Thesis Format

Monograph

Degree

Master of Education

Program

Education

Supervisor

Scott, Katreena L.

Abstract

Although extant literature underscores the importance of addressing men’s risk for sexual violence perpetration, there is limited research examining sexual violence prevention programs for young men in Canada. Using community-based, mixed-method research and a clinical logic model, this study involved the development and application of an evaluation mechanism for a sexual violence prevention program for young men, Man|Made. Triangulation of survey data (n = 43 pre-program and n = 21 post-program) and qualitative interviews of program participants (n = 5) and facilitators (n = 6) highlighted some promising findings related to changes in men’s consent knowledge, acknowledgement of past harm, consideration of the impact of actions, and pressure to adhere to gendered scripts within interpersonal relationships. Little to no differences were observed in men’s rape myth acceptance, masculine gender role stress, sexual communication self-efficacy, sexual double standards, and bystander attitudes. Limitations and future clinical and research directions are discussed.

Summary for Lay Audience

Young men (between the ages of 18 to 30 years old) are at the highest risk for sexual violence perpetration in Canada. Despite this, few sexual violence prevention programs directly targeting men’s risk level have been evaluated on Canadian post-secondary campuses. In this study, I collaborated with Anova, a local sexual violence crisis centre and women’s shelter in London, Ontario, to develop an evaluation process for their psychoeducational sexual violence prevention program for young men, Man|Made. A logic model, which connected the program’s content with its intended short- and long-term goals, guided the development of the evaluation measures and interpretation of preliminary findings. This logic model outlined openness and non-judgement as the determinant of participant progress and five areas of outcome evaluation (i.e., consent, gender norms, sex positivity, acknowledgement and accountability, and bystander intervention).

Evaluation and comparison of preliminary results from pre- (n = 43) and post-program (n = 21) survey data and in-depth interviews of program participants (n = 5) and facilitators (n = 6) highlighted this program’s potential effectiveness to increase men’s understanding of consent, engagement in consent-seeking practices, acknowledgement of past harms, and consideration of the impact of their actions, and to reduce the pressure that these men felt to subscribe to gendered expectations within relationships with peers and sexual partners. However, few to no differences in men’s rape myth acceptance, stress related to traditional masculine gender norm expectations, sexual communication self-efficacy, sexual double standards, intention to be accountable, and bystander attitudes were observed.

Despite some limitations, this study met its key aim of developing a data-driven evaluation mechanism Man|Made. It is important to acknowledge that often sexual violence prevention programs for young men already exist in the community but have not yet been empirically evaluated. This thesis outlines an example of how researchers can effectively collaborate with, and support, community partners already engaging in gender-based violence prevention work to enhance outcomes for the community.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 License.

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