TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2024//
TI  - Empirically assessing the effectiveness of the pathways programme: an online self-help intervention for male sexual aggression at UK universities
JO  - Archives of sexual behavior
A1  - Hales, Samuel T.
A1  - Rawers, Caitlyn
A1  - Gannon, Theresa A.
SP  - ePub
EP  - ePub
VL  - ePub
IS  - ePub
N2  - Though contemporary evidence suggests that upwards of one-in-nine UK male university students engage in sexually violent behaviors (Hales and Gannon in Sexual Abuse 34:744-770, 2022), few evidence-based primary prevention strategies have been developed to prevent their perpetration. To help contribute to this evidence gap, this study evaluated the short and longer-term effectiveness of a novel psychoeducation-based online self-help intervention for university male sexual aggression called The Pathways Programme. Designed around current empirical understanding of university-based sexual harm in the UK, the program contains six modules that correspond with known risk factors for perpetration. Data were collected as part of a randomized control trial from 254 self-identified heterosexual male students enrolled at a UK university who reported a proclivity towards sexual aggression. <br><br>RESULTS showed that participants who took part in the program displayed moderate reductions in their self-perceived likelihood of sexual aggression (our primary treatment target) across testing points, as well as reductions in their self-reported levels of hostility towards women, rape myth acceptance, and problematic sexual fantasies (our secondary treatment targets). Control participants also displayed reductions in some domains over time, albeit to a lesser degree. Additional analyses probed the factors associated with participant drop-out, clinical and reliable change, and user feedback. Overall, our study provides preliminary evidence for the efficacy of The Pathways Programme at reducing UK university males' risk of sexual aggression; however, we caution readers that more robust evaluation is necessary to support intervention rollout. We discuss our findings alongside the limitations of our study and provide suggestions for future research.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0004-0002
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10508-024-02808-6
ID  - ref1
ER  -