All of the research reviews focused on studies done from 1970 to 2002. The literature indicates that existing rape prevention programs can be placed in two broad categories: attitude-change programs that are primarily educational in format and self-defense programs that focus on deterrence strategies once a rape attack is imminent. The attitude-change programs typically consist of a 1- to 2-hour education workshop based on the assumption that a decrease in rape-supportive attitudes results in a decrease in the actual incidence of rape. Program components typically include some or all of the following: information on the prevalence of sexual assault, debunking rape myths, discussions of sex role stereotypical behaviors, and practical suggestions for safe dating behaviors. There have been few evaluations of these types of programs; however, a comprehensive review of 21 such programs by Lonsway found that only about half of them resulted in decreased rape-supportive attitudes following the conclusion of the program, and even the successful programs did not show continued success during long-term follow-up. Self-defense programs focus directly on increasing a woman's preparedness for a violent threat, but they are not part of standard rape prevention programs. There has been no experimental test of the effects of self-defense training on women's likelihood of being raped. Anecdotal evidence, however, suggests that women trained in self-defense are three times less likely to be raped (Leland-Young & Nelson, 1987). Risk factors for sexual assault can be divided into those more distal in a temporal sense to the sexual assault and those more proximal. The following proximal risk factors have been examined in relation to rape vulnerability: dating location, behavior and frequency, alcohol use, attitudes and beliefs, assertiveness and communication, and ability to detect danger cues. The following distal risk factors have been examined with respect to their relationship to rape vulnerability: demographics, mental and emotional disabilities, sorority membership, and prior sexual assault and sexual abuse. Based on the literature review, this paper suggests that rape prevention programs focus on discouraging women from becoming intoxicated with new male acquaintances and accompanying them to private settings, raising young women's awareness of the potential problems associated with stereotypical sex role behavior when dating, and training women in recognizing imminent rape situations and in the skills of rape resistance strategies. Suggestions are also offered for improved rape-prevention program evaluation. 73 references