Multi-College Bystander Efficacy Evaluation

Summary

Bystander interventions, recognized as promising violence prevention strategies, are unique in their engagement of all community members to 1) recognize situations that may become violent and 2) learn to safely and effectively intervene to reduce violence risk. Based on their promise, the Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act (SaVE) now requires all publicly-funded colleges to provide bystander intervention. With SaVE's policy intervention requiring bystander interventions, a "natural experiment" has arisen to determine the relative efficacy of students' bystander training across multiple colleges. Investigators propose a quasi-experimental design (using fractional factorials) to evaluate the relative efficacy of three bystander interventions to reduce violence in college communities. Green Dot will be one of three bystander interventions evaluated. A recent rigorous evaluation has found that Green Dot is associated with a 20-40% reduction in VAW in college and high school settings.

In aim 1, investigators will compare the relative efficacy of bystander interventions to a) increase bystander efficacy and behaviors, b) reduce violence acceptance, c) reduce interpersonal violence victimization and perpetration, and d) increase program cost effectiveness. The three main bystander groups compared will be: exclusively online training, Green Dot (speeches and intensive bystander training), and other skills-based bystander training. Program efficacy data will be obtained from student surveys, campus crime statistics, and surveys with college staff and administrators responsible for selecting and implementing bystander interventions.

In aim 2, investigators seek to grow communities of VAW prevention researchers. Researcher communities will form through researchers' engagement with college recruitment, survey design, data collection and analyses. Specifically investigators will determine the efficacy of this program to increase VAW prevention research productivity defined as a) increasing research skills and b) increasing research communications measured as manuscript submissions, presentations, and publications.

This natural experiment will generate new understanding into efficacy of how bystander programs work. This natural experiment will also provide the VAW research community an opportunity to increase our skill-sets and share our experiences with and help grow the next generation of VAW prevention researchers.

Conditions

• Sexual Violence

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

BIC 1

BIC cluster creation will include policy, implementation and degree of community coverage, specific title mandatory, and exclusively online training.

BEHAVIORAL

BIC 2

BIC cluster creation will include policy, implementation and degree of community coverage, specific title mandatory, and exclusively online training.

BEHAVIORAL

BIC 3

BIC cluster creation will include policy, implementation and degree of community coverage, specific title mandatory, and exclusively online training.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

  collaborator FED

• Ann Coker

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Ann L Coker, PhD · University of Kentucky

• Heather M Bush, PhD · University of Kentucky

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

24 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2016-01-31

Primary Completion

2019-06-30

Completion

2020-12-31

Countries

• United States

Study Locations