Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Oct;52(7):2899-2935.
doi: 10.1007/s10508-023-02596-5. Epub 2023 May 24.

Sexual and Dating Violence Prevention Programs for Male Youth: A Systematic Review of Program Characteristics, Intended Psychosexual Outcomes, and Effectiveness

Mirthe Verbeek  1 , Joyce Weeland  2 , Maartje Luijk  2 , Daphne van de Bongardt  2
Affiliations

Sexual and Dating Violence Prevention Programs for Male Youth: A Systematic Review of Program Characteristics, Intended Psychosexual Outcomes, and Effectiveness

Mirthe Verbeek et al. Arch Sex Behav. 2023 Oct.

Erratum in

Abstract

Sexual and dating violence (SDV) by male youth (≤ 25 years)-including sexual harassment, emotional partner violence, and rape-is a worldwide problem. The goal of this preregistered (PROSPERO, ID: CRD42022281220) systematic review was to map existing SDV prevention programs aimed at male youth, including their characteristics (e.g., content, intensity), intended psychosexual outcomes, and empirically demonstrated effectiveness, guided by the principles of the theory of planned behavior (TPB). We conducted searches in six online databases for published, peer-reviewed quantitative effectiveness studies on multi-session, group focused, and interaction based SDV prevention programs for male youth ending March 2022. After screening of 21,156 hits using PRISMA guidelines, 15 studies on 13 different programs, from four continents were included. Narrative analysis showed, first, broad ranges in program intensity (2-48 h total), and few program curricula included explicit discussion of relevant aspects of the TPB. Second, programs' main intended psychosexual outcomes were to change SDV experiences, or related attitudes, or norms. Third, significant effects were found mostly on longer term behaviors and short-term attitudes. Other theoretical proxies of SDV experiences, such as social norms and perceived behavioral control, were sparsely investigated; thus, program effectiveness on these outcomes remains largely unknown. Assessed with the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool, moderate to serious risk of bias arose in all studies. We present concrete suggestions for program content, such as explicit attention to victimization and masculinity and discuss best practices for evaluation research, including assessments of program integrity, and examining relevant theoretical proxies of SDV.

Keywords: Adolescent boys; Sexual education; Sexual health; Sexual violence; Structured literature review.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

All authors certify that they have NO affiliations with or involvement in any organization or entity with any financial interest (such as honoraria; educational grants; participation in speakers’ bureaus; membership, employment, consultancies, stock ownership, or other equity interest; and expert testimony or patent-licensing arrangements), or non-financial interest (such as personal or professional relationships, affiliations, knowledge or beliefs) in the subject matter or materials discussed in this manuscript.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Number of significant effects per outcome type of the TPB. Note. PT = post-test, FU = follow-up
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
PRISMA flow diagram of study selection
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Abrahams N, Devries K, Watts C, Pallitto C, Petzold M, Shamu S, GarcÍa-Moreno C. Worldwide prevalence of non-partner sexual violence: A systematic review. The Lancet. 2014;383(9929):1648–1654. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(13)62243-6. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Adams J, Hillier-Brown FC, Moore HJ, Lake AA, Araujo-Soares V, White M, Summerbell C. Searching and synthesising ‘grey literature’and ‘grey information’ in public health: Critical reflections on three case studies. Systematic Reviews. 2016;5(1):1–11. doi: 10.1186/s13643-016-0337-y. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ajzen I. The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes. 1991;50(2):179–211. doi: 10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-T. - DOI
    1. Alsem SC, van Dijk A, Verhulp EE, De Castro BO. Using virtual reality to treat aggressive behavior problems in children: A feasibility study. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry. 2021;26(4):1062–1075. doi: 10.1177/13591045211026160. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Anderson LA, Whiston SC. Sexual assault education programs: A meta-analytic examination of their effectiveness. Psychology of Women Quarterly. 2005;29(4):374–388. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-6402.2005.00237.x. - DOI

Publication types