Effects of self defence training for sexual assault prevention in the Air Force

Abstract

Sexual assault in the military has become a prominent societal concern. A recently released Department of Defence report on military sexual abuse concluded that sexual abuse continues to be a significant problem in the armed forces. To address this issue, systematic and cultural change, including training military personnel on sexual assault and the prevention and protection against sexual abuse, is needed. A study examining the effectiveness of a week-long workshop using the Gracie Defense Systems was conducted. The results suggest that Gracie training designed to empower military personnel to prevent and protect themselves against sexual abuse and teach sexual awareness was effective. The overall effects of the training (f2 = .41; large ES) appear to affect underlying constructs such as self-efficacy, self-determination, vigilance and vulnerability. In addition, differences were found between males and females prior to training (f2 = .44) and after training (f2 = .29) as well as differences between those who had prior self-defence training and those that did not have such training (f2 = .35). Recommendations include field testing and validating a measure that adequately examines self-efficacy, self-determination, vigilance and vulnerability as well as continued efforts to implement sexual abuse training throughout the military and improve policies.