title: Does self-defense training prevent sexual violence against women?
abstract: Self-defense classes are offered across the nation as a strategy for reducing women's vulnerability to sexual assault. Yet there has been little systematic research assessing the effectiveness of these classes. In this article, I use data from a mixed methods study of a 10-week, university-based, feminist self-defense class to examine the effectiveness of self-defense training over a 1-year follow-up period. My analyses indicate that women who participate in self-defense training are less likely to experience sexual assault and are more confident in their ability to effectively resist assault than similar women who have not taken such a class.
authors.affiliation: University of Oregon, USA.
authors.forename: Jocelyn A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Hollander
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010806:Physical Education and Training; D011209:Power, Psychological; D011902:Rape / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012449:Safety; D020377:Self Efficacy; D012742:Sex Offenses / Q000517:prevention & control; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014495:Universities; D014754:Violence / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014930:Women; D016387:Women's Health; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: prevention; self-defense training; sexual assault