Combining Alcohol Misuse and Sexual Assault Prevention Enhances Training Outcomes in a U.S. Military Service Academy.

OBJECTIVE

Alcohol misuse and sexual assault are prevalent in the U.S. military, including in military service academies. As these behaviors frequently co-occur, there is an urgent need to develop and test prevention programs that address risk factors for both and that are also appropriately tailored for military cadets. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of a combined alcohol misuse and sexual assault prevention program to that of an alcohol misuse prevention program plus a healthy skills program, a standalone sexual assault prevention program, and a standalone healthy skills program.

METHOD: A four-arm quasi-experimental study was conducted at the U.S. Air Force Academy with two incoming classes of cadets (N = 1,985). Participants completed pre- and posttest surveys to assess alcohol misuse- and sexual assault-related knowledge and attitudes. Mixed-effects multilevel models tested changes over time by condition; interactions were examined to determine whether program effects were moderated by sex or prior alcohol use.

RESULTS

Several significant differences in pre-to posttest changes were observed, with most indicating greater improvement in the combined condition than in other conditions. Alcohol readiness to change improved in the combined program compared with the alcohol misuse prevention and healthy skills program (p < .05); knowledge regarding sexual assault and self-efficacy to resist unwanted sexual advances increased significantly more in the combined program than in all others (p < .05).

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides initial evidence to support combined, tailored alcohol misuse and sexual assault training in military academy settings.