Longer Term Impact of Bystander Training to Reduce Violence Acceptance and Sexism

ABSTRACT

Many bystander programs to prevent violence have been developed and evaluated in college populations. An exception is the randomized controlled trial of Green Dot, found effective in reducing violence rates and violence acceptance in 26 high-schools (2010–2014). In ‘Life’s Snapshot’, 10,727 seniors were recruited from these same schools with the goal of determining the longer-term efficacy of bystander training. Students in intervention schools could have up to three years of Green Dot exposure. Seniors from intervention versus control schools had significantly lower scores (p <.01) indicating less violence acceptance or sexism for two of five measures. Seniors’ self-reports of bystander training received confirmed these findings. These cross-sectional analyses suggest that some reductions in violence acceptance associated with bystander programming may be maintained into early adulthood.

KEYWORDS:

• Bystander intervention
• sexual violence acceptance
• intimate partner violence acceptance
• high Schools
• sex differences

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the NIH/ National Institute of Child Health and Development (R01HD075783).

Notes on contributors

Ann L. Coker

Ann L. Coker, PhD, MPH, is a full professor of epidemiology in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in the College of Medicine at the University of Kentucky. She holds the Verizon Wireless Endowed Chair in the Center for Research on Violence Against Women. Her current research focuses on prevention interventions to reduce the frequency and impact of intimate partner and sexual violence.

Heather M. Bush

Heather M. Bush, PhD, is a full professor in the Department of Biostatistics in the College of Public Health at the University of Kentucky. Her current research focuses on utilizing statistical methodology and data visualization to better understand complex relationships.

Candace J. Brancato

Candace J. Brancato, MS, is a data scientist, in the Department of Biostatistics, within the University of Kentucky's College of Public Health.

Zhengyan Huang

Zhengyan Huang, PhD, is a biomedical data scientist, in the Department of Biostatistics in the College of Public Health at the University of Kentucky. Her current research focuses on statistical methods development and application on complex data.

Emily R. Clear

Emily R. Clear, MPH, CHES, is a research program manager in the Department of Biostatistics at the University of Kentucky. Her research interests include dating and sexual violence among adolescents as well as adolescent pregnancy.

Diane R. Follingstad

Diane R. Follingstad, PhD is a full professor in the Department of Psychiatry in the College of Medicine at the University of Kentucky. She serves as the Executive Director and the Women’s Circle Endowed Chair in the Center for Research on Violence Against Women. Her research has focused on battered women, dating violence, measurement of psychological maltreatment, campus climate violence/harassment, and factors impacting jury verdicts in battered women’s cases.