Citation

Marcantonio TL, Leone RM, O'Neil AM, Jozkowski KN. Psychol. Violence 2023; 13(4): 319-328.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, American Psychological Association)

DOI

10.1037/vio0000475

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Sexual and gender minority (SGM) men experience sexual assault victimization. Encouraging people to become involved when they witness high-risk sexual situations as a prosocial bystander is one preventative mechanism to address sexual assault victimization. However, research assessing the extent that SGM men will intervene when they witness a concerning male-to-male sexual situation and barriers that prevent intervention is lacking. We sought to address these gaps.

METHOD: SGM men (n = 323, Mage = 39.4, range 18-77) completed a web-administered survey. Participants were asked if they had witnessed a high-risk sexual situation and, if so, to describe how they intervened; if they did not intervene, they were asked to explain why not. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis.

RESULTS: Nearly 50% (n = 157) of participants reported witnessing a situation that may require intervention, of those men 40% reported involvement. When SGM men intervened, their behaviors included direct and indirect verbal and nonverbal strategies. Reasons for not intervening included not appraising the situation as risky, not viewing it as their responsibility to intervene, or lacking the self-efficacy to act.

CONCLUSION: SGM men reported similar barriers to intervention that heterosexual young adults encounter. Participants also provided a variety of intervention tactics that could be included in bystander intervention initiatives to increase their effectiveness and inclusivity. Additional efforts are needed to modify intervention initiatives at both the individual and community level. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Language: en

Keywords

Bystander Effect; Intervention; Sex Offenses; Sexual Minority Groups; Victimization; Witnesses