%0 Journal Article
%T Evaluation of the intervention initiative: a bystander intervention program to prevent violence against women in universities
%J Violence and victims
%D 2018
%A Fenton, Rachel A.
%A Mott, Helen L.
%V 33
%N 4
%P 645-662
%X Violence against women students is increasingly recognized as a significant public health and human rights issue. <i>The Intervention Initiative</i> is a facilitated bystander intervention educational program commissioned by Public Health England for use by all English universities to prevent violence, abuse, and coercion. The success of the program with first-year law students at a large university in the South West of England was evaluated through course evaluation feedback and in a questionnaire study. Student experience was exceptionally good across all measures. In paired sample <i>t</i> tests, prosocial bystander behavior did not increase significantly from pretest to post-test immediately after taking part in the program. Rape myth acceptance, domestic abuse myth acceptance, and denial decreased significantly (<i>p</i> <.001; <i>d</i> >.599). Bystander efficacy, readiness to help, and responsibility increased significantly (<i>p</i> <.001; <i>d</i> =.408-.703), and intent to help increased significantly (<i>p</i> =.007, <i>d</i> =.248). Exposure to a concurrent social marketing campaign on campus had a significant strengthening effect on improvement of attitudes to rape myths (<i>p</i> =.010) but not any other outcome measures. No significant backlash was identified.<br><br>© 2018 Springer Publishing Company, LLC.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>
%G en
%I Springer Publishing
%@ 0886-6708
%U http://dx.doi.org/10.1891/0886-6708.VV-D-16-00074