554344
research-article2014
VAWXXX10.1177/1077801214554344Violence Against WomenCook-Craig and Coker
Introduction
Introduction to the Special Issue
Violence Against Women 2014, Vol. 20(10) 1159–1161 © The Author(s) 2014 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/1077801214554344 vaw.sagepub.com
Patricia G. Cook-Craig1, and Ann L. Coker1
This special issue was born out of a now decade-long effort in Kentucky to re-envision sexual violence prevention programming in the state. In response to the growing call of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to focus on primary prevention of perpetration of sexual violence (DeGue, Simon, Basile, Lang, & Spivak, 2012), the state coalition for sexual assault services, the Kentucky Association of Sexual Assault Programs (KASAP), engaged partners at the CDC and the University of Kentucky to work with them and their 13 funded state Rape Crisis Center programs to rethink their ideas on how prevention of perpetration of sexual violence could be achieved. The result was the adoption of a single bystander prevention strategy adopted statewide (Cook-Craig, Millspaugh, Recktenwald, & Lang, 2012). The Rape Crisis Centers also made a commitment to ensure that the selected strategy would be accompanied by a rigorous evaluation component to ensure that they collected evidence to test the efficacy of the strategy. With this special issue, we begin to disseminate what is being learned from this effort with special attention first, to how this effort was designed, and second, the wealth of new information we have learned about the violence experiences of high school–aged adolescents. The first two articles in this issue are devoted to exploring the challenges that Kentucky experienced in creating a translational model to engage practitioners and researchers to select, implement, and test a bystander strategy to promote primary prevention of perpetration of sexual violence. In the first article, Patricia Cook-Craig and her co-authors outline the process by which KASAP engaged in the selection and implementation of a prevention strategy to test as part of their participation in a CDC planning grant, EMPOWER. The article discusses how opportunities were capitalized on and how challenges were overcome using an empowerment evaluation framework. In the second article, Cook-Craig and co-authors outline the development of a methodology to test the selected prevention program, Green Dot, in a 5-year, randomized
1University
of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
Corresponding Author: Patricia G. Cook-Craig, College of Social Work, 615 Patterson Office Tower, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506-0227, USA. Email: [email protected]
Downloaded from vaw.sagepub.com at The University of Iowa Libraries on June 3, 2015
1160
Violence Against Women 20(10)
controlled trial (RCT) study, which was subsequently funded by the CDC. Methodological challenges to testing bystander prevention programs are discussed. The remaining four articles provide a comprehensive picture of the victimization and perpetration rates of various forms of violence experienced by high school students in Kentucky. Each of these articles is based on the baseline data collection of the RCT to evaluate Green Dot. Data were collected from all students in 26 high schools across the state in a 99-question anonymous survey. Study investigators were committed to collecting comprehensive data on the multiple forms of interpersonal and sexual violence that adolescents experience. This research is an important contribution as it is the first study of its kind to address the scope of violence experienced by high school students both by including the range of violence experiences and by measuring both victimization and perpetration of violence in the population. Across studies, there is a general pattern of lower rates of perpetration of forms of violence than victimization, with girls more frequently reporting victimization and boys more frequently reporting perpetration. Emily Clear and her co-authors begin this sequence with an article that delineates the rates of sexual harassment victimization and perpetration among high schools students. In addition, correlates of sexual harassment are discussed. Using a conservative approach to the measurement of sexual harassment (experiencing the phenomenon 3 or more times in 12 months), the article highlights the disquieting reality that sexual harassment victimization is common among students, with 30% of students reporting having experienced this form of violence. Prevalence of dating violence among high school students is addressed in the article by Ann Coker and her co-authors. While we have historically relied on estimates of victimization of dating violence, this study examines both victimization and perpetration of both physical and psychological dating violence. Consistent with the rates of sexual harassment found in Clear et al.’s article, about one third (33.4%) of students reported having experienced dating violence victimization in the past 12 months; 20% of students reported dating violence perpetration. Coker and her co-authors highlight correlates of dating violence, the co-occurrence of physical and psychological dating violence victimization and perpetration, and the association between parental intimate partner violence (IPV) and dating violence. Corrine Williams and co-authors address the prevalence of victimization and perpetration of unwanted sexual activities with 18.5% of students reporting victimization and 8% of students reporting perpetration. This article similarly examines correlates and co-occurrence of victimization and perpetration. Of note, a high percentage of males (40%) reported experiencing both victimization and perpetration of unwanted sex. Finally, Bonnie Fisher and co-authors examined the prevalence of stalking among Kentucky high school students. Consistent with the pattern of the other three articles, student reports of victimization were higher (16.5%) than perpetration (5.3%). The study authors explore the use of a range of stalking tactics experienced and used, including the use of various forms of social media as well as more traditional tactics of following, spying on, and unwanted gifts.
Downloaded from vaw.sagepub.com at The University of Iowa Libraries on June 3, 2015
Cook-Craig and Coker
1161
Our hope is that this special issue will contribute to a better understanding of the range of violence forms experienced by high school students and the efforts that Kentucky has been engaged in to rethink translational work to reduce that violence. The story of how Kentucky re-engineered its prevention programming and engaged in the design of a comprehensive evaluation of their chosen strategy provides a promising example of how states can create meaningful translation partnerships between practitioners, researchers, and funders to move toward primary prevention of perpetration of violence among youth. The comprehensive accounting of the violence victimization and perpetration that high school students are experiencing offers program developers unique insight into the nuances of violence experiences, which can be instrumental in fine-tuning bystander and other prevention programs to target reduction of specific forms of violence. References Cook-Craig, P. G., Millspaugh, P., Recktenwald, E., & Lang, K. (2012). Laying tracks of hope: Kentucky’s involvement in the EMPOWER program. Journal of Safety Research, 43, 313-314. DeGue, S., Simon, T. R., Basile, K. C., Lang, K., & Spivak, H. (2012). Moving forward by looking back: Reflecting on a decade of CDC’s work in sexual violence prevention, 2000-2010. Journal of Women’s Health, 21, 1211-1218.
Downloaded from vaw.sagepub.com at The University of Iowa Libraries on June 3, 2015
research-article2014
VAWXXX10.1177/1077801214554344Violence Against WomenCook-Craig and Coker
Introduction
Introduction to the Special Issue
Violence Against Women 2014, Vol. 20(10) 1159–1161 © The Author(s) 2014 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/1077801214554344 vaw.sagepub.com
Patricia G. Cook-Craig1, and Ann L. Coker1
This special issue was born out of a now decade-long effort in Kentucky to re-envision sexual violence prevention programming in the state. In response to the growing call of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to focus on primary prevention of perpetration of sexual violence (DeGue, Simon, Basile, Lang, & Spivak, 2012), the state coalition for sexual assault services, the Kentucky Association of Sexual Assault Programs (KASAP), engaged partners at the CDC and the University of Kentucky to work with them and their 13 funded state Rape Crisis Center programs to rethink their ideas on how prevention of perpetration of sexual violence could be achieved. The result was the adoption of a single bystander prevention strategy adopted statewide (Cook-Craig, Millspaugh, Recktenwald, & Lang, 2012). The Rape Crisis Centers also made a commitment to ensure that the selected strategy would be accompanied by a rigorous evaluation component to ensure that they collected evidence to test the efficacy of the strategy. With this special issue, we begin to disseminate what is being learned from this effort with special attention first, to how this effort was designed, and second, the wealth of new information we have learned about the violence experiences of high school–aged adolescents. The first two articles in this issue are devoted to exploring the challenges that Kentucky experienced in creating a translational model to engage practitioners and researchers to select, implement, and test a bystander strategy to promote primary prevention of perpetration of sexual violence. In the first article, Patricia Cook-Craig and her co-authors outline the process by which KASAP engaged in the selection and implementation of a prevention strategy to test as part of their participation in a CDC planning grant, EMPOWER. The article discusses how opportunities were capitalized on and how challenges were overcome using an empowerment evaluation framework. In the second article, Cook-Craig and co-authors outline the development of a methodology to test the selected prevention program, Green Dot, in a 5-year, randomized
1University
of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
Corresponding Author: Patricia G. Cook-Craig, College of Social Work, 615 Patterson Office Tower, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506-0227, USA. Email: [email protected]
Downloaded from vaw.sagepub.com at The University of Iowa Libraries on June 3, 2015
1160
Violence Against Women 20(10)
controlled trial (RCT) study, which was subsequently funded by the CDC. Methodological challenges to testing bystander prevention programs are discussed. The remaining four articles provide a comprehensive picture of the victimization and perpetration rates of various forms of violence experienced by high school students in Kentucky. Each of these articles is based on the baseline data collection of the RCT to evaluate Green Dot. Data were collected from all students in 26 high schools across the state in a 99-question anonymous survey. Study investigators were committed to collecting comprehensive data on the multiple forms of interpersonal and sexual violence that adolescents experience. This research is an important contribution as it is the first study of its kind to address the scope of violence experienced by high school students both by including the range of violence experiences and by measuring both victimization and perpetration of violence in the population. Across studies, there is a general pattern of lower rates of perpetration of forms of violence than victimization, with girls more frequently reporting victimization and boys more frequently reporting perpetration. Emily Clear and her co-authors begin this sequence with an article that delineates the rates of sexual harassment victimization and perpetration among high schools students. In addition, correlates of sexual harassment are discussed. Using a conservative approach to the measurement of sexual harassment (experiencing the phenomenon 3 or more times in 12 months), the article highlights the disquieting reality that sexual harassment victimization is common among students, with 30% of students reporting having experienced this form of violence. Prevalence of dating violence among high school students is addressed in the article by Ann Coker and her co-authors. While we have historically relied on estimates of victimization of dating violence, this study examines both victimization and perpetration of both physical and psychological dating violence. Consistent with the rates of sexual harassment found in Clear et al.’s article, about one third (33.4%) of students reported having experienced dating violence victimization in the past 12 months; 20% of students reported dating violence perpetration. Coker and her co-authors highlight correlates of dating violence, the co-occurrence of physical and psychological dating violence victimization and perpetration, and the association between parental intimate partner violence (IPV) and dating violence. Corrine Williams and co-authors address the prevalence of victimization and perpetration of unwanted sexual activities with 18.5% of students reporting victimization and 8% of students reporting perpetration. This article similarly examines correlates and co-occurrence of victimization and perpetration. Of note, a high percentage of males (40%) reported experiencing both victimization and perpetration of unwanted sex. Finally, Bonnie Fisher and co-authors examined the prevalence of stalking among Kentucky high school students. Consistent with the pattern of the other three articles, student reports of victimization were higher (16.5%) than perpetration (5.3%). The study authors explore the use of a range of stalking tactics experienced and used, including the use of various forms of social media as well as more traditional tactics of following, spying on, and unwanted gifts.
Downloaded from vaw.sagepub.com at The University of Iowa Libraries on June 3, 2015
Cook-Craig and Coker
1161
Our hope is that this special issue will contribute to a better understanding of the range of violence forms experienced by high school students and the efforts that Kentucky has been engaged in to rethink translational work to reduce that violence. The story of how Kentucky re-engineered its prevention programming and engaged in the design of a comprehensive evaluation of their chosen strategy provides a promising example of how states can create meaningful translation partnerships between practitioners, researchers, and funders to move toward primary prevention of perpetration of violence among youth. The comprehensive accounting of the violence victimization and perpetration that high school students are experiencing offers program developers unique insight into the nuances of violence experiences, which can be instrumental in fine-tuning bystander and other prevention programs to target reduction of specific forms of violence. References Cook-Craig, P. G., Millspaugh, P., Recktenwald, E., & Lang, K. (2012). Laying tracks of hope: Kentucky’s involvement in the EMPOWER program. Journal of Safety Research, 43, 313-314. DeGue, S., Simon, T. R., Basile, K. C., Lang, K., & Spivak, H. (2012). Moving forward by looking back: Reflecting on a decade of CDC’s work in sexual violence prevention, 2000-2010. Journal of Women’s Health, 21, 1211-1218.
Downloaded from vaw.sagepub.com at The University of Iowa Libraries on June 3, 2015
