Citation

Waterman EA, Banyard VL, Mitchell KJ, Edwards KM. J. Interpers. Violence 2022; 37(7-8): NP5471-NP5494.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/0886260520960115

PMID

35369777

Abstract

Adolescents are at high risk for sexual and dating violence (SDV) at school, indicating need for both adolescents and school personnel to engage in bystander behavior to prevent SDV. Adolescents' perceptions of social norms about bystander behavior, including their perceptions about social norms among school personnel, may impact adolescents' own SDV attitudes and intended bystander behavior. Based on social norms theory, the current research examines adolescents who underestimate, accurately perceive, and overestimate school personnel's reactive (responding to a current situation) and proactive (spreading messaging about prevention) bystander behaviors. High school students (N = 3,404; mean age = 15.7; 87.2% White; 87% heterosexual) and school personnel (N = 1,150) from 25 schools completed surveys. Adolescents who underestimated school personnel's reactive and proactive bystander behavior had more accepting attitudes towards violence and less bystander behavior intentions. Correcting misperceived norms about bystander behavior may improve students' own bystander behavior.

Language: en

Keywords

prevention; sexual violence; bystander; social norms; dating violence