National Center for Injury Prevention and Control

Misogyny – the hatred of women, often expressed through violence against women or sexual objectification Bystander Efficacy – one’s confidence to intervene in sexually aggressive events Audience Inhibition – the phenomenon in which an individual does not intervene because doing so runs the risk of embarrassment Background Male-to-female sexual aggression (SA) is a serious public health concern, especially among college populations. While the blame of SA should ultimately rest on the perpetrators, bystanders can play an important role in prevention, as they are estimated to be present in approximately one-third of sexual assaults (Planty, 2002). As such, bystander intervention programs aim to teach men and women how to become successful bystanders (e.g., Banyard, Moynihan, & Plante, 2007; Berkowitz, 2002). Research indicates that bystander efficacy is positively associated with bystander behavior for SA (e.g., Parrott et al., 2012); however, it is unknown how the situation in which a sexually aggressive event takes place influences the likelihood of bystander behavior. Bystanders may be inhibited from intervening in certain contexts due to audience inhibition. This may be especially relevant in certain situations when intervening contradicts social norms. Specific to SA, men may be inhibited from intervening due to traditional male gender norms that discourage intervening in another man’s “sexual conquest” (Carson, 2008). This may be especially true when men are among peers who appear to support violence against women. The aim of the present study was to examine how the presence of misogynistic peers influences the relationship between bystander efficacy and bystander intervention among men.