Current Interventions: Bystander Intervention Training Programs on Canadian University Campuses

Bystander intervention training programs have been a crucial element of sexual assault prevention on campus for over a decade (Holtzman, 2020). These initiatives empower students, staff, and faculty to recognize and respond effectively to incidents of sexual violence, harassment, and other misconduct.

There are five widely recognized stages of bystander intervention training (though programs and presentations may vary across campuses):

1. Noticing an event and interpreting it

2. Identifying a situation as requiring intervention & evaluating the nature of the event

3. Assuming responsibility for intervening

4. Knowing and deciding how to intervene

5. Taking action to intervene

Cadaret et al. (2021), Exner-Cortens & Cummings (2021), and Kettrey et al. (2019) all conducted research studies concluding that bystander intervention programs were effective in providing short-term decreases in students' rape myth* acceptance and increased willingness to intervene as a bystander. However, most research in this area focuses on evaluating how bystander training impacts students' intentions to intervene and short-term changes in how they see sexual violence, but does not evaluate if students' expectations for their peers' behavior changes in the long-term.

Holtzman's (2020) research shows that students discussing bystander accountability varied greatly in various contexts, such as the friendship status of the victim, bystander, and perpetrator, the genders of the people involved, and the settings they were in. Bystander programming seems to be effective in impacting individual beliefs, and has some effectiveness in changing campus cultural attitudes, but can be undermining the impact of the programming by having a lack of evaluation and accountability for peers and bystanders who fail to intervene.

Research has shown that men are much less likely than women to intervene against sexual violence. In Kaya et al.'s (2020) study, male participants between 18 and 25 enrolled in university who had engaged in at least one sexual assault bystander intervention behavior in their lifetime were interviewed. Their analysis showed that the primary factors influencing their willingness to intervene were:

• Exposure to training

  • Having been exposed to bystander intervention training in the past gave them tools and confidence to assess the situation and appropriately intervene

• Having socially supportive peer groups of other men

  • When male peers supported, affirmed, and/or encouraged participant's decision to intervene, they were much more likely to take action

Although bystander intervention programming is an important piece of an effective response to campus sexual violence, we often put too much faith in the impact one session will have on students and faculty. Without consistent training implemented over time, it's easy for participants to let go of the knowledge they were given. More research will help us determine what pieces of bystander intervention training are the most impactful, but we know that one session when students begin post-secondary or when faculty/staff are hired at the institution is not enough to make long-lasting change.

*Rape myth = Rape myths are described as false beliefs regarding sexual assault either in relation to the survivor or perpetrator of the assault or the incident of rape itself. Common rape myths include ideas such as 'if a person didn't say no then that means yes', 'if someone is wearing revealing clothing they are asking to be assaulted', 'if you are in a relationship with someone your partner cannot be accused of sexual violence', and more.

References & studies to explore

Cadaret, M. C., Johnson, N. L., Devencenzi, M. L., & Morgan, E. M. (2021). A quasiexperimental study of the bystander plus program for changing rape culture beliefs. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 36(20), NP10156-NP10177. https://doi-org.proxy3.library.mcgill.ca/10.1177/0886260519872981

Exner-Cortens, D. & Cummings, N. (2021). Bystander-based sexual violence perception with college athletes: A pilot randomized trial. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 36(2), 188-211. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260517733279

Holtzman, M. (2020). Beyond victim blaming: Students’ perceptions of bystanders who fail to intervene. Sociological Focus, 53(3), 254-270. https://doi.org/10.1080/00380237.2020.1782794

Kaya, A., Le, T. P., Brady, J., & Iwamoto, D. (2020). Men who intervene to prevent sexual  assault: A grounded theory study on the role of masculinity in bystander intervention. Psychology of Men & Masculinities, 21(3), 463-478. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/men0000249

Kettrey, H. H., & Marx, R. A. (2019). The effects of bystander programs on the prevention of   sexual assault across the college years: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 48(1), 212-227. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-018-0927-1

Lamb, S., White, L., & Brodt, M. (2024). Reaching conservative students in bystander training against sexual assault: Teaching pros & bros. Journal of Student Affairs Research and  Practice, 61(1), 117-129. https://doi.org/10.1080/19496591.2022.2111522