Athletic Trainers’ Perceived Knowledge and Competence on Sexual Assault Management

One in five college females will experience sexual assault (SA), and the athletic environment increases the risk of SA occurring. Athletic trainers (ATs) must be knowledgeable and competent to handle reports, but the effectiveness of the institutional sexual violence prevention (SVP) training ATs receive is unknown. The purpose of this study was to assess how ATs’ perceived knowledge and competence in managing student-athlete reports of SA differ across training formats and facilitators. Collegiate ATs (N = 283) completed a survey assessing formal psychosocial clinical education, institutional SVP training format and facilitator, and perceived knowledge and competence on SA policies and management. Two one-way MANOVAs compared perceived knowledge and competence by format and facilitator. Overall, any form of SVP training was associated with greater perceived knowledge and competence than no training. Regarding format, ATs who received face-to-face or a combination of face-to-face and online training felt most knowledgeable and competent. Regarding facilitators, ATs whose SVP training was led by an external, professional facilitator or multiple facilitators felt more knowledgeable than ATs whose program was self-guided or led by a staff member of the institution. Lastly, ATs who had been certified longer reported feeling more knowledgeable than recently certified ATs. A face-to-face format with an external or professional facilitator or a combination of formats and facilitators appears to be the optimal method for ATs’ SVP training. Whether this translates to improved care for the athlete who experiences SA is still unknown and requires further research.