The role of campus environment on bystander intentions and behaviors

Abstract

Objective

This study examined students’ perceptions of campus environmental factors related to bystander intentions and behaviors, and if intentions mediated the relationship between students’ perceptions and behaviors.

Participants

Participants were 274 students at a southern university who observed a situation they believed was, or could lead to, a sexual assault.

Methods

Participants completed an online campus climate survey in April 2015.

Results

Nearly 70% reported intervening, 21.5% did nothing, 9.5% waited to see if they needed to intervene. Students’ knowledge of campus policies and procedures and their bystander intentions were associated with bystander behaviors. Students’ knowledge of campus policies and procedures and being female were related to bystander intentions. The indirect path between being female, bystander intentions, and taking action, as well as the indirect path between knowing campus policies and procedures, bystander intentions, and taking action were significant.

Conclusions

Findings provide important implications for prevention programing.

Keywords:

• Bystander intervention
• campus climate
• campus policies
• sexual assault

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the students who completed our survey, as well as Dr. Leila Wood who contributed to the design and implementation of the project.

Conflict of interest disclosure

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements, of the United States and received approval from the IRB of Texas State University.