Sexual revictimization: the relationship among knowledge, risk perception, and ability to respond to high-risk situations.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate previously victimized and nonvictimized women's responses to a sexual assault prevention program using a training-to-criterion approach. Responses measured included (a) whether participants already knew the information provided, (b) whether sexually revictimized experimental participants took longer to be trained to criterion than did nonrevictimized experimental participants, and (c) whether sexually revictimized control participants knew less information than did nonrevictimized control participants. Results indicated that sexually revictimized participants did not take longer to be trained to criterion on the program segments and did not know less material on Trial I of the prevention program than nonrevictimized participants did. In fact, participants who reported a single victimization experience took .significantly longer to be trained to criterion than did revictimized participants on a measure that assessed identification of risky dating behaviors. Implications of these results and .suggestions for future research in prevention programming with women are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]