“Being in a Room with Like-Minded Men”: An Exploratory Study of Men's Participation in a Bystander Intervention Program to Prevent Intimate Partner Violence

Abstract

The bystander approach suggests that individuals can intervene to interrupt situations leading to violence and has previously been used in sexual assault prevention. This article applies the bystander approach to interpersonal violence. An exploratory study was conducted to assess a workshop designed to prevent intimate partner violence that utilized the bystander approach with male participants. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used to measure male participants' attitudes regarding bystander intervention behaviors and attitudes after participating in a workshop designed to encourage bystander intervention behaviors. A total of 41 men completed posttest surveys, and eight participated in face-to-face interviews. Important findings indicate that many participants expressed anxiety in social situations that inhibited bystander behavior and that many men desired more opportunities to talk in open forums such as the workshops with other like-minded men.