Citation

Carlyle KE, Conley AH, Guidry JPD. J. Am. Coll. Health 2020; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

Robertson School of Media and Culture, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/07448481.2020.1726924

PMID

32150515

Abstract

Objective: Sexual and dating violence (SV/DV) on college campuses is a pervasive problem with far-reaching implications for public health. This paper describes the development and evaluation of a widely disseminated SV/DV primary prevention program, the Red Flag Campaign (RFC). Participants and Methods: An online survey was administered to 203 freshmen at a southeastern US university, of whom 82% reported exposure to the RFC in the previous month. Results: College students exposed to the RFC reported greater efficacy for intervening as a bystander compared to those students who were not exposed. These results held when looking at exposure to RFC messages specifically, but not RFC events. Conclusions: This evaluation offers preliminary evidence that the RFC is effective at increasing determinants of prosocial bystander behavior, the enactment of which could reduce SV/DV on college campuses. Implications and recommendations for college personnel implementing the RFC are discussed.

Language: en

Keywords

Bystander intervention; college campuses; dating violence; health behavior change theory; sexual violence