Bystander Intervention Programs Research Articles

Preventing Sexual Aggression Among College Men: An Evaluation of a Social Norms and Bystander Intervention Program

Men and women living in randomly selected 1st-year dormitories participated in tailored single-sex sexual assault prevention or risk-reduction programs, respectively. An evaluation of the men's project is presented (N = 635). The program incorporated social norms and bystander intervention education and had an impact on self-reported sexual aggression and an effect on men's perceptions that their peers would intervene when they encountered inappropriate behavior in others. Relative to the control group, participants also reported less reinforcement for engaging in sexually aggressive behavior, reported fewer associations with sexually aggressive peers, and indicated less exposure to sexually explicit media.

“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

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.

Rape Myth Beliefs and Bystander Attitudes Among Incoming College Students

Objective: The bystander approach to rape prevention is gaining popularity on college campuses, although research is limited. This study explored bystander attitudes and their relationship with rape myths in a sample of college students. Participants: Surveys from 2,338 incoming undergraduate students at a large, northeastern university were analyzed. Methods: Participants completed revised versions of the Illinois Rape Myth Acceptance Scale and the Bystander Attitude Scale. Results: A higher acceptance of rape myths was reported by males, those pledging a fraternity/sorority, athletes, those without previous rape education, and those who did not know someone sexually assaulted. A greater willingness to intervene as a bystander was reported by females, those who had previous rape education, and those who knew someone sexually assaulted. Acceptance of rape myths was negatively related to willingness to intervene. Conclusions: Bystander intervention programs should include content on rape myths as well as focus on the role of gender.

A Situational Model of Sexual Assault Prevention through Bystander Intervention

Bystander intervention is a potentially potent tool in the primary prevention of sexual assault but more information is needed to guide prevention programs (Banyard 2008). Undergraduates (378 women and 210 men, primarily White) at a central coast California university completed an anonymous questionnaire measuring five barriers identified by the situational model of bystander intervention (Latane and Darley 1970) and bystander intervention behavior. As expected, the barriers were negatively correlated with intervention, were greater for men than for women, and intervention likelihood was affected by perceptions of victim worthiness, especially for men. Hypotheses predicting a positive relationship between having a relationship with the potential victim or perpetrator and intervention were supported. Implications for sexual assault bystander intervention programming are provided.

Subject Index

Bystander intervention programs have been introduced as innovative strategies to empower teens to intervene proactively when they witness bullying and dating violence (TDV) in their social environments. While there is promising research on the individual-level factors that influence students' willingness to intervene, there has been limited investigation on how teens' school environments encourage proactive responses. Through analysis of focus group data, this study revealed that teens are reluctant to employ bystander behaviors in any capacity. Some of the school-level factors that influenced their willingness to intervene include: trusting relationships with teachers; the perception that school personnel, rather than students, have more expertise to respond effectively; school environments that were tolerant of dating abuse; and ineffective school policies. Implications for creating “whole-school” responses to bullying and TDV will be discussed.