The purpose of this study is to adapt and pilot a sexual assault prevention intervention for transgender and nonbinary (trans) undergraduate students. Forty percent of trans individuals (i.e., individuals whose gender identity does not align with their sex assigned at birth, inclusive of nonbinary people) are sexually assaulted during their time in college. Despite the magnitude of this issue, there are no sexual assault prevention interventions that have lowered victimization of trans students. The Enhanced Assess, Acknowledge, Act (EAAA) intervention is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and is the only intervention proven to lower rape victimization by over 50% among cisgender female undergraduates. However, trans-specific vulnerabilities to violence are not addressed in EAAA, nor in the online adaptation of EAAA recently piloted by the study team called internet-delivered EAAA (IDEA3). This project will adapt and pilot IDEA3 for trans and nonbinary students to develop one of the first evidence-based sexual assault prevention interventions for trans and nonbinary young adults. Investigators will adapt IDEA3 for trans students ages 18-25 and test it in an initial group which they will use to make revisions to the program. Then, the study will collect participant survey and focus group data on feasibility and acceptability from 4 more groups of participants, revising the intervention between groups. Finally, the study will collect preliminary data on whether the program increased participants' confidence in their ability to defend themselves.
Participants must be adults ages 18 to 25, AND
Have a gender identity that differs from their sex assigned at birth (e.g. trans or nonbinary) AND
Be an undergraduate student AND
Be available during the program times, AND
Participant is less than 18 years of age or older than 25 years of age, OR
Does not identify as a trans or nonbinary individual, OR
Is not an undergraduate student, OR
Is not available during the program times, OR
Single group
TEA3 Intervention
Other interventionDelivery of TEA3 intervention, a 15-hour online sexual assault resistance intervention for transgender undergraduates.
Feasibility of TEA3 intervention
This will be assessed by reviewing speed of recruitment and noting no-shows (at first session), overall session attendance, and retention rates for the online intervention to determine whether incentives are sufficient for a future larger trial; reviewing fidelity to the original intervention based on reviewing recordings of all online intervention sessions; reviewing and cataloging deviations from the manual; and final review of what pieces of TEA3 went well and what pieces need to be further adapted in the future.
Acceptability of TEA3 intervention
This will be assessed from summary statistics calculated from survey questions completed by participants relating to dimensions of affective attitude (how the individual feels about the intervention); burden (perceived effort required to participate); ethicality (extent to which the intervention fits with the individual's value system), perceived effectiveness, and whether they would recommend the intervention to a friend.
Intervention participants' self-defense self-efficacy
This will be assessed from participant answers to baseline and post-test surveys that use validated scales to measure self-defense self-efficacy (i.e. confidence that one could defend oneself against sexual assault)
Efficacy of TEA3 intervention
This will be assessed from participant answers to baseline and post-test surveys that use validated scales to measure five intermediary outcomes that account for EAAA's effect on reducing victimization: earlier detection of risk in coercive situations; greater risk perception of acquaintance rape; lower rape myth acceptance; knowledge of, and willingness to use evidence-based forceful verbal and physical resistance in a hypothetical situation; and earlier identification of 'discomfort' and earlier willingness to leave a hypothetical situation. The sexual assault victimization outcome measure for a future RCT, a validated trans adaptation of the Sexual Experiences Survey, will also be used.
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Sarah Peitzmeier
Lead sponsor
University of Maryland, College Park
Sponsor institution
