When will students intervene? Differences in students' intent to intervene in a spectrum of sexual assault situations.

Summary: The purpose of the study was to examine whether students’ intentions to intervene varied by primary, secondary and tertiary levels and if intentions differed based on intervening with the perpetrator or victim. The sample consisted of 815 undergraduate students enrolled at a large university in the Pacific Northwest. Participants completed the Sexual Assault Bystander Behavior Questionnaire during class time. Students reported greater intentions to intervene with potential or actual sexual assault victims than with potential or actual perpetrators.  They also reported greater intentions to intervene during post-assault situations than pre- or mid-assault situations. Female students reported greater intentions to intervene with potential or actual victims and perpetrators compared to male students. Given that students vary in their intent to perform different prosocial behaviors, the authors suggested that programs should create targeted activities for the variety of behaviors.

Application/Evaluation: The study did not evaluate the effectiveness of a health program or strategy.

Limitations: The study was based on a convenient, ethnically homogenous sample of college students and thus, may not be generalizable to more diverse student populations.

 

College students conceptualize helping behaviors differently depending on the context of the sexual violence situation.
Author
Hoxmeier, J. C., Flay, B. R., & Acock, A. C.
Start Page
179
End Page
184
Journal/Periodical Name
Violence and Gender
Publication Date
2015