Empowerment Self-Defense: Theory, Research, and Practice explores the theory, research, and practice of empowerment self-defense as a sexual assault prevention approach. Nationwide, 81% of women have reported experiencing some form of sexual harassment and/or assault in their lifetime. Empowerment self-defense is one approach utilized by sexual assault prevention programs that holds great promise for stopping violence and reducing inequality by strengthening an individual’s ability to prevent and respond to threats. This book begins by introducing the theoretical underpinnings of empowerment self-defense, the difference between empowerment self-defense and martial arts, as well as myths and misconceptions about the approach. The second section includes a series of chapters that summarize emerging research on empowerment self-defense. The final section of the book addresses special topics, including implementation of empowerment self-defense for indigenous population, individuals with disabilities, and transgender women.

• Defines trauma-informed empowerment self-defense
• Identifies how to assess empowerment self-defense effectiveness
• Includes measures for key constructs
• Discusses the application of self-defense to different populations