Bystander Intervention Programs: Improving Attitudes and Behaviors Surrounding Sexual Harassment

More than 1 in 3 women and nearly 1 in 4 men have experienced sexual violence involving physical contact during their lifetime. Therefore, it is no surprise that intervention programs are being developed to fight the ongoing threat of sexual harassment, particularly among college students. In this study, a meta-analysis is conducted to determine the effect sizes of the presence of bystander intervention programs on improving attitudes and behaviors surrounding sexual harassment; 17 studies were retained on the basis of answering the research question. Sources were found using PsychInfo and Google Scholar and search terms included “sexual misconduct”, “sexual assault”, “sexual harassment”, “prevention”, and “bystander programs”. Findings showed significant beneficial outcomes postintervention with a moderate effect size in improving rape myth acceptance attitudes and weak effect sizes for improving attitudes with bystander efficacy and bystander intention to help. The results of the analysis indicate that bystander intervention programs can be an effective resource for improving attitudes surrounding sexual harassment and should be considered useful in combatting this issue