Citation

Holland KJ, Cipriano AE. Am. J. Community Psychol. 2019; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1002/ajcp.12333

PMID

31059132

Abstract

Experiencing military sexual assault (MSA) results in serious mental health consequences. Sexual assault survivors often disclose to informal sources of support, and how these individuals respond can have a significant effect on survivors' wellbeing. Bystander intervention is one mechanism through which institutions, such as the U.S. Military, aim to teach informal support providers to respond positively and effectively to sexual assaults. One bystander response that survivors may find helpful is the discussion of formal resources (e.g., counseling options, reporting options). The current study examined factors associated with U.S. Service members' intentions to encourage sexual assault survivors to report and seek mental health counseling, including individual characteristics (rank, gender, personal experience of MSA) and perceptions of military sexual assault response efforts (exposure to sexual assault training, leader response to sexual assault, service barriers). The study also examined contextual factors (branch) and interactions between individual and contextual predictors. We analyzed survey data from 27,505 active duty Service members collected by the U.S. Department of Defense. As expected, rank, gender, experience of MSA, training exposure, leader response, and service barriers were associated with Service members' intentions to encourage MSA survivors to report and seek-help. Bystander responses to disclosures can have a significant effect on survivors' response to the assault, and these findings can help in identifying why bystanders may or may not encourage the use of formal resources after receiving a sexual assault disclosure.

© 2019 Society for Community Research and Action.

Language: en

Keywords

Bystander; Military; Resources; Sexual Assault; Social Reactions