Evaluation of the Intervention Initiative: A bystander intervention program to prevent violence against women in universities

Fenton, Rachel A.; Mott, Helen L.

Abstract

© 2018 Springer Publishing Company. Violence against women students is increasingly recognized as a significant public health and human rights issue. The Intervention Initiative is a facilitated bystander intervention educational program commissioned by Public Health England for use by all English universities to prevent violence, abuse, and coercion. The success of the program with firstyear law students at a large university in the South West of England was evaluated through course evaluation feedback and in a questionnaire study. Student experience was exceptionally good across all measures. In paired sample t tests, prosocial bystander behavior did not increase significantly from pretest to post-test immediately after taking part in the program. Rape myth acceptance, domestic abuse myth acceptance, and denial decreased significantly (p < .001; d > .599). Bystander efficacy, readiness to help, and responsibility increased significantly (p < .001; d = .408-.703), and intent to help increased significantly (p = .007, d = .248). Exposure to a concurrent social marketing campaign on campus had a significant strengthening effect on improvement of attitudes to rape myths (p = .010) but not any other outcome measures. No significant backlash was identified.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Oct 23, 2017
• Publication Date: Aug 1, 2018
• Deposit Date: Jun 10, 2019
• Journal: Violence and Victims
• Print ISSN: 0886-6708
• Electronic ISSN: 1945-7073
• Publisher: Springer Publishing Company
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 33
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 645-662
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1891/0886-6708.VV-D-16-00074
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/1494049
• Publisher URL: http://doi.org/10.1891/0886-6708.VV-D-16-00074
• Additional Information: Additional Information : The final publication is available at Springer via http://doi.org/10.1891/0886-6708.VV-D-16-00074
• Contract Date: Jun 10, 2019