Teaching Healthy Relationships as a Sexual Violence Prevention Measure: Sustaining Community and School-Based Interventions

Abstract

Sexual violence has become a growing public health concern, with childhood victimization significantly increasing the risk of lifelong adverse outcomes. In rural Indiana, where adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and sexual assault rates are above the national averages, early, community-based prevention efforts are needed. The Healthy Relationships for Rural Youth Initiative (HRRYI) is a school- and community-based prevention program designed for youth-serving professionals to enhance their self-efficacy in teaching healthy relationships, digital safety, and interpersonal boundaries. This study evaluates the effectiveness and acceptability of a professional development workshop designed for youth-serving professionals to deliver HRRYI content. Across eight workshops (N = 170), 75 participants completed pre- and post-training assessments, and 28 completed a 4-month follow-up. Results revealed significant increases in self-efficacy across all three instructional domains. Additionally, results demonstrated high acceptability, with mean ratings exceeding six on a seven-point Likert scale. Although only a small number of participants had implemented the full youth program by follow-up, many reported integrating HRRYI content into routine practice. These findings highlight the impact of professionally facilitated training to improve educators’ self-efficacy in delivering content.