Measuring Bystander Behavior in the Context of Sexual Violence Prevention: Lessons Learned and New Directions

McMahon, Sarah; Palmer, Jane E.; Banyard, Victoria L.; Murphy, Megan J.; Gidycz, Christine A.

doi:10.1177/0886260515591979

Cited by 78 publications

(106 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…Opportunity to intervene was not asked before frequency of intervention. The ordering of intervention response/opportunity was similar to previous studies, for example, yes/no/was not in situation4 6; however, scholars more recently encourage the asking of opportunity first, followed by inquiry of bystander response 5. Finally, frequency or total of opportunities were not measured, and the number of students’ intervention opportunities may vary between subpopulations and/or risk situations, and the measurement thereof may provide additional insight into the extent to which students can and do intervene as bystanders 5…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

Revising existing instruments for measuring bystander intervention opportunity and frequency of prosocial response for the prevention of sexual violence

Hoxmeier

2017

Inj Prev

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Institutions of higher education increasingly offer training programmes to engage students' as pro-social bystanders who can intervene in situations related to sexual violence. The purpose of this study was to assess the usage of a bystander behaviour measurement tool that captures both students' intervention opportunities and frequency of prosocial response. University undergraduate students in the Northwestern USA (n=474) completed online surveys in the Fall of 2016. Results show that students have opportunities to intervene in a variety of situations at the three levels of prevention for campus sexual violence and they do not always intervene. The frequency of students' prosocial bystander response ranged, for those with the opportunity, from 'never' to 'always'; students reported varying degrees of intervention frequency depending on the situation. A bystander intervention behaviour instrument measuring opportunity and frequency of response can be a valuable tool for assessing the effectiveness of bystander training programmes.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

Revising existing instruments for measuring bystander intervention opportunity and frequency of prosocial response for the prevention of sexual violence

Hoxmeier

2017

Inj Prev

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“…There is still much debate in the field about how best to measure bystander action while accounting for opportunity to help and separating the type of situation from the strategy used to help (McMahon, Palmer, Banyard, Murphy, & Gidycz, ; McMahon, Palmer, Banyard, Murphy, & Gidycz, ). We described several specific actionist contexts that we know from previous research are prevalent in the lives of youth.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perceptions of Community Norms and Youths’ Reactive and Proactive Dating and Sexual Violence Bystander Action

Rothman

Edwards

Rizzo

et al. 2019

American J of Comm Psychol

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Highlights• Dating and sexual violence prevention programs that promote bystander intervention are popular.• More information about what facilitates or inhibits bystander behavior in DSV situations is needed.• Youth perception of community norms were associated with action frequency for many bystander actions.Abstract There is enthusiasm for programs that promote bystander intervention to prevent dating and sexual violence (DSV). However, more information about what facilitates or inhibits bystander behavior in DSV situations is needed. The present cross-sectional survey study investigated whether youth perceptions of adults' behavior and community norms were associated with how frequently youth took action and intervened in DSV situations or to prevent DSV. Specifically, study hypotheses were that youths' perceptions of communitylevel variables, such as adults' willingness to help victims of DSV or prevent DSV, perceptions of community collective efficacy, and perceptions of community descriptive and injunctive norms disapproving of DSV and supporting DSV prevention, would be associated with how frequently youths took reactive and proactive bystander action. Participants were 2172 students from four high schools in one New England state. ANOVA analyses found that descriptive norms were associated with all actionist behaviors, and perceptions of community cohesion were also consistently associated with them. Injunctive norms were associated, but less consistently, with actionist behaviors. Findings suggest that DSV-related social norms, and descriptive norms and community cohesion in particular, might be relevant to youth DSV bystander behavior.

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“…Questions that deal with bystander primary prevention intervention are limited in number and often included as part of composite scales with a continuum of factors that does not pinpoint whether bystander behavior is “showing displeasure” at a sexist comment or actually intervening in a situation that seems to be risky, like a scenario in which a drunk person is being led forcefully from a party to a residence hall room [ 26 , 35 , 36 , 37 ]. The broad range of targeted behaviors obscures the success of sexual assault prevention.…”

Section: Challenges Of Operationalizing Bystander Actionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bystander Programs: Accommodating or Derailing Sexism?

Reid

Dundes

2017

Behavioral Sciences

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Bystander programs implemented to meet federal requirements to reduce sexual assaults on college campuses in the United States must include primary prevention. Survey data (n = 280) and interview data (n = 20) presented in this paper explore students’ hypothetical and actual willingness to intervene as bystanders. Although most students surveyed (57%) claim they would be very likely to intervene, fewer than half would be very suspicious of someone leading away an intoxicated individual at a party (45% of women and 28% of men: p < 0.01). Interview data reveal how students perceive risk factors at college parties and what types of bystander measures they attempt, including “distractions”, a nonconfrontational tactic in which bystanders avoid more direct but socially risky interventions. Subsumed in many current bystander programs is an invisible element of valorizing harmony. Condoning bystanders’ unwillingness to directly confront seemingly predatory individuals could make change seem out of reach and could also embolden offenders whose behavior is observed and only temporarily thwarted.

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Measuring Bystander Behavior in the Context of Sexual Violence Prevention: Lessons Learned and New Directions

Cited by 78 publications

References 31 publications

Revising existing instruments for measuring bystander intervention opportunity and frequency of prosocial response for the prevention of sexual violence

Revising existing instruments for measuring bystander intervention opportunity and frequency of prosocial response for the prevention of sexual violence

Perceptions of Community Norms and Youths’ Reactive and Proactive Dating and Sexual Violence Bystander Action

Bystander Programs: Accommodating or Derailing Sexism?

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