Prevention Approach and Philosophy

The Student Advocacy and Prevention Coordinator follows the guidance from the foundational article, What Works in Prevention: Principles of Effective Prevention Programs (Nation et al., 2003). The authors identified nine characteristics that were consistently associated with effective prevention programs. These characteristics are implemented and incorporated into sexual misconduct prevention efforts at Lafayette College:

  1. Comprehensive Services: Strategies should include multiple components and affect multiple settings to address a wide range of risk and protective factors of the target problem.
  2. Varied Teaching Methods: Strategies should include multiple teaching methods, including some type of active, skills-based component.
  3. Sufficient Dosage: Participants need to be exposed to enough of the activity for it to have an effect.
  4. Theory Driven: Preventive strategies should have scientific or logical rationale.
  5. Positive Relationships: Programs should foster strong, stable, positive relationships.
  6. Appropriately Timed: Program activities should happen at a time (developmentally) that can have maximum impact in a participant’s life.
  7. Socioculturally Relevant: Programs should be tailored to fit within cultural beliefs and practices of specific groups as well as local community norms.
  8. Outcome Evaluation: A systematic outcome evaluation is necessary to determine whether a program or strategy worked.
  9. Well-Trained Staff: Programs need to be implemented by staff members who are sensitive, competent, and have received sufficient training, support, and supervision.