Abstract
Background: Sexual harassment is a pervasive and often subtle type of sexual violence that can have lasting health and academic consequences among college students. Bystander intervention is a commonly used approach to address sexual violence in college populations. The first objective of this study was to evaluate racial differences in RAA-based antecedents (intentions, attitudes, perceived norm, PBC) of BI to stop sexual harassment. A secondary objective was to examine indirect measures of the RAA constructs as determinants of attitudes, perceived norm, and PBC to evaluate whether any racial differences existed, and if so, inform future public health promotion interventions.
Methods: Traditional-aged undergraduate students (n=294; 68% female/69% white) from two universities completed an online survey evaluating intentions, attitudes, perceived norms, and perceived behavioral control towards engaging in BI to stop sexual harassment. Two Linear regression models [white-, BIPOC students((black, indigenous, and people of color)] were used to regress RAA constructs on intentions to engage in BI.
Results: While both regression models predicted a significant amount of the variance for BI intentions, the model for BIPOC students’ intentions had more variance explained (adjusted R2=.405) compared to the model for white students (adjusted R2=.339).
Conclusions: This preliminary study suggests that perceptions to engage in BI to prevent sexual harassment may vary by race. Future research should investigate the role of campus environment in how different racial and ethnic groups feel about BI engagement.