Developing and Piloting Videogames to Increase College and University Students' Awareness and Efficacy of the Bystander Role in Incidents of Sexual Violence

What Will People Think? How College Students Evaluate Bystander Intervention Behavior

Many colleges utilize bystander intervention programs to address gender-based violence. The goal of these programs is to help students overcome barriers to intervention, including evaluation inhibition, which occurs when bystanders expect to be viewed negatively for intervening. We have limited information, though, on how college students evaluate bystanders who intervene. Specifically, we do not know whether evaluations of bystanders who engage in different levels of intervention vary across situations or how men and women who intervene similarly are evaluated. Without this information, it is difficult to design prevention programs that help bystanders overcome evaluation inhibition. To gather this information, we conducted a vignette experiment with college student participants (n = 82). We specifically examined how students evaluated the reasonableness of male and female bystanders who engaged in different behaviors (direct intervention and threatening to tell an authority, direct intervention only, indirect intervention, doing nothing) across four situations (assault at a party, workplace harassment, harassment by a teaching assistant, and intimate partner violence). Analyses of variance found that there was situational variability in how the bystander is evaluated for different intervention tactics, though bystanders who did nothing were always evaluated the most negatively. Bystander's gender, however, did not affect evaluations, suggesting that intervention expectations for men and women are similar. These results indicate that while there is an underlying norm supportive of intervention behavior, situational characteristics influence whether college students think it is reasonable to call authorities, confront the perpetrator, or engage in indirect intervention. The central implication of this study is that bystander intervention training should provide opportunities for students to practice intervention behaviors across a wide variety of situations of gender-based violence in order build up their store of intervention tactics, thus increasing their ability to overcome evaluation inhibition.

Sexual Violence in Virtual Reality: A Scoping Review

BACKGROUND

One in four Americans report experiencing harassment online via social media and interactive gaming, which includes physical threats, stalking, sexual harassment, and sustained harassment.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to gain understanding of the state of the science surrounding young adults and sexual violence/harassment harms in virtual reality (VR) as well as possible uses of VR to heal and intervene.

METHODS

A scoping review was conducted in early 2023 using the Ovid Synthesis Clinical Evidence Manager and the MEDLINE database. Forty-seven articles met inclusion criteria.

RESULTS

Our review found a growing body of evidence exploring incidents, effects, possible predictors, and initial strategies to prevent sexual violence in VR and to use the modality to positively intervene. Limited research addresses the effects of harms incurred in VR on (re)traumatization of survivors as well as the development and testing of VR tools used to educate, deliver bystander interventions, transform biases and perceptions via embodiment, and promote healing among survivors.

CONCLUSION

Research addressing sexual violence in VR is needed and should build on the existing peripheral science on gaming and social media environments. Forensic nursing is well positioned to advance strategies of health and safety in VR, just as in the physical world. Incorporating forensic nursing avatars in VR and deploying diverse resources targeted for college-age young adults to prevent harms in VR should be explored safely and ethically. Forensic nurses are also positioned to assess for VR-related harms among patients and to work with private and government sectors to influence regulations and policies.

Advancing a Comprehensive Multilevel Approach to Sexual Violence Prevention Using Existing Efficacious Programs

ABSTRACT

Sexual violence (SV) is a serious and long-standing public health problem on college campuses. At institutions of higher education, campus administrators, activists, and practitioners have worked for decades to address campus SV. Despite federally mandated campus SV prevention programming, rates of campus SV remain unchanged. The purpose of this commentary is to outline a strategy for enhancing campus SV prevention efforts using a comprehensive multilevel approach utilizing existing efficacious programs. The following three strategies for implementing optimal campus SV prevention are proposed, which include (a) the need to prioritize efficacy, (b) targeting multiple levels of the social ecology, and (c) leveraging the benefits of in-person programming and technology-driven prevention. A call to action is included for both institutions of higher education administrators and practitioners to implement and invest in comprehensive multilevel interventions using existing, efficacious SV programs, ideally combining a technology-based program with an in-person component. Furthermore, a coordinated effort between prevention and response is needed to achieve successful prevention of campus SV and revictimization, including a connection with the community for postassault interventions. Thus, implementing multilevel interventions on college campuses using existing evidence-based programs in combination with a coordinated community response of postassault interventions can bring the campus community together and is optimal to moving the needle on rates of campus SV.

Participatory Design Application in Youth Sexual Violence and Abuse Prevention: A Mixed-Methods Systematic Review

Youth sexual violence and abuse (SVA) are leading public health and human rights issues around the world. Prevention is key to reducing SVA rates and minimising resultant harms. Despite advocacy for more collaborative approaches, knowledge of how to effectively engage young people and key stakeholders in the design, implementation, and evaluation of SVA prevention programs is limited. This mixed-methods systematic review aimed to synthesise available evidence on participatory design (PD) application in primary and secondary SVA prevention targeting young people. A systematic search was executed across seven electronic databases. Eligible studies were peer-reviewed, published in English, reported primary or secondary SVA prevention, described application of PD or a related approach, and targeted young people aged 12-25 years. Quality was assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. Overall, 20 articles reporting 15 studies were included. Most (55%; n = 11) employed a qualitative design. Descriptions, methods, and scope of PD application varied across included studies. A lack of empirical evaluations prevented conclusions regarding the utility of PD application in terms of measured outcomes. The methodology, agent of change, training, and engagement (MATE) taxonomy was subsequently developed to describe and classify PD application. As illustrated in the MATE taxonomy, PD methods promoting agency, encouraging input, and facilitating empowerment are likely to facilitate more meaningful engagement of participants. Integration of participant and expert views, community consultation, and appropriate socio-cultural adaption appear to be critical determinants of program acceptability and feasibility. Empirical evaluations are needed to assess the relative utility of PD methods in line with SVA prevention objectives.

Effects of Campus Sexual Assault Prevention Programs on Attitudes and Behaviors Among American College Students: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

The US Campus Sexual Assault Violence Elimination (SaVE) Act of 2013 mandates that all higher education institutions receiving federal funds offer incoming students primary prevention and awareness programming addressing sexual violence. Yet, there is no thorough and up-to-date quantitative synthesis of the effects of campus sexual assault prevention programs on sexual assault attitudes/knowledge and behaviors. Thus, we conducted a systematic review of the literature and a meta-analysis of experimental and high-quality quasi-experimental research examining effects of college sexual assault prevention programs on sexual assault attitudes and behaviors. Our synthesis of 385 effect sizes from 80 eligible studies disseminated between 1991 and 2021 indicates campus sexual assault programs have a more pronounced effect on attitudes/knowledge than on violence. Effects on sexual assault victimization were significant but small (g = 0.15) and effects on sexual assault perpetration were nonsignificant. Moderator analyses indicate programs that use a risk reduction framework are associated with less favorable outcomes than programs that do not use a risk reduction framework. Considering the limited effect of campus sexual assault prevention programs on violence, we recommend programming efforts move beyond a focus on individuals and, instead, adopt an ecological perspective targeting individuals, social relationships, community factors, and societal factors.

The Effectiveness of College Dating Violence Prevention Programs: A Meta-Analysis

Due in part to their involvement with social activities on campus, college students experience an increased risk of dating violence. Recent legislation such as the Campus SaVE Act (which requires U.S. colleges to offer training on sexual assault, domestic violence, stalking, and sexual harassment to all incoming students) has contributed to the increase in prevention programming offered across postsecondary campuses, as well as subsequent research examining the effectiveness of these prevention efforts. The current study provides a systematic review and meta-analysis of college dating violence prevention programs. A systematic search of 28 databases and numerous gray literature sources identified an initial 14,540 articles of which 315 were deemed potentially eligible for inclusion. Studies were selected if they (1) evaluated a college dating prevention program/campaign, (2) reported one of five outcomes (knowledge, attitudes, or bystander efficacy, intentions, or behavior), (3) had a minimum sample size of 20 in the treatment group, (4) used a pre/post and/or comparison group design, and (5) were published in English or French between January 2000 and October 2020. We calculated 53 effect sizes from 31 studies and conducted separate meta-analyses on various categories of outcome measures. Findings suggest that college dating violence prevention programs are effective at increasing knowledge and attitudes toward dating violence, as well as bystander skills, but are not effective at increasing bystander behaviors. Findings from moderator analyses suggest that several program components influence the strength of treatment effects. Implications for improving the effectiveness of college dating violence prevention programs are discussed.

Systematic literature review of digital resources to educate on gender equality

Violence and discrimination against women are serious problems that affect today's society regardless of culture or social environment. Educational and government programs addressing these gender issues are difficult to scale up, insufficient or, in some cases, nonexistent. Digital resources can contribute to address discrimination against women and different technological initiatives are being carried out around the world. Videogames and digital resources have proven their effectiveness as tools to educate, prevent and raise awareness about social problems. This article presents a systematic literature review of digital resources such as videogames, apps and simulations that address gender issues including violence and stereotypes. Throughout the review, we analyze multiple characteristics of the resources found (development tools, platforms, location, target audience) to classify the studies found. The main goal of this review is to present the status of gender-focused digital resources, their evaluation studies, including the metrics used and samples, as well as the acceptance and impact of their application. Most of the studies reviewed aimed to raise awareness about gender-based violence using serious games targeted at teenagers. For the resources evaluated, pre-post questionnaires were commonly used. However, many of the projects reviewed did not have evaluation studies or the resources were not openly available, thus limiting their massive application and their potential impact on society. We consider that our results provide a starting point to better understand the role of digital resources in raising awareness about gender issues, highlighting their current limitations, and providing recommendations for future research in gender-based digital resources.

The role of moral norms as a determinant of intentions to engage in bystander intervention to prevent sexual assault

Bystander interventions (BIs) primarily focus on increasing a sense of community and responsibility among students. This study examined moral norms as a determinant of intentions towards BI, within the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). College students at two universities (n = 291) completed an online survey measuring TPB constructs (e.g., intentions, perceived norms) and moral norms. Results indicated that moral norms were significantly associated with intentions toward BI, and appeared to be a valuable addition to the overall perceived norms construct. In addition, the law, parents, peers, and religion were identified as significant determinants of moral norms. Promoting collective responsibility to engage in BI and including a moral imperative to act in message development could increase the impact of BI.

Sexual and Gender Minority Inclusivity in Bystander Intervention Programs to Prevent Violence on College Campuses: A Critical Review

Sexual and gender minority (SGM) individuals are at increased risk for experiencing sexual violence. Bystander intervention training programs are a first-line prevention recommendation for reducing sexual and dating violence on college campuses. Little is known regarding the extent to which SGM individuals are represented in the content of bystander intervention programs or are included in studies examining the effectiveness of bystander intervention programs. The present critical review aimed to fill this gap in knowledge. Twenty-eight empirical peer-reviewed evaluations of bystander intervention programs aimed at reducing dating violence or sexual assault on college campuses were examined. Three studies (10.7%) described including content representing SGM individuals in the program. Personal communication with study authors indicated that-although not mentioned in the publication-many programs describe rates of violence among SGM students. When describing the study sample, six studies (21.4%) indicated that transgender, nonbinary, or students classified as "other" were included in the research. Approximately two thirds of studies (67.9%) did not describe participants' sexual orientation. No studies reported outcomes specifically among SGM individuals, and two (7.1%) mentioned a lack of SGM inclusion as a study limitation. Work is needed to better represent SGM individuals in the content of bystander intervention programs and ensure adequate representation of SGM individuals in studies examining the effectiveness of bystander intervention programs.

Sexual and Dating Violence Bystander Intervention Programs within Institutions of Higher Education: Strategies for Research and Practice

This article presents strategies to promote researcher-practitioner collaborations in the development and evaluation of bystander intervention programs that address sexual and dating violence (SDV) at Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs). The benefits of practitioner partnerships with researchers are reviewed. We then review examples of researcher-practitioner collaborations to develop, implement, and evaluate bystander programs. Suggestions are also offered for researcher-practitioner collaborators to engage survivors of SDV and overlooked populations, such as racial, ethnic, gender, and sexual minorities, as ways to promote diversity. Lastly, we provide guidelines for researcher-practitioner collaborations to engage bystanders based on the lessons learned from these collaborations within and around the IHE community.

Moving towards the End of Gender Differences in the Habits of Use and Consumption of Mobile Video Games

The world of video games has become one of the most important entertainment niches for society. In the last decade it has surpassed in turnover audio-visual markets such as cinema and music, driving the development of a new form of communication. The increase in the number of female gamers has highlighted the need to discover differences and similarities between players, both in habits and motivations. We present a study based on a survey procedure for the completion of a questionnaire that aimed to cover the age range of 18 to 30 years of Spanish youngsters and that reached a total of 711 valid responses. The results showed that there were no significant differences in terms of hours spent playing video games between the two genders, although there were motivational differences in the reasons for playing, specifically in terms of competition and challenge. The discussion of the results was carried out by means of a comparative statistical analysis of means to confirm the hypotheses and meet the objectives. Despite the existence of significant differences between genders, these were not as notable as might be expected. When it comes to gaming, as we have detected in our study, there were some consumption habits with differentiated gender patterns; however, in relevant indicators such as hours of consumption, increase in lockdown consumption, and spending, there were no significant differences. The gender gap that existed a few years ago between video gamers is becoming progressively narrower.

Gender bias in academia: A lifetime problem that needs solutions

Despite increased awareness of the lack of gender equity in academia and a growing number of initiatives to address issues of diversity, change is slow, and inequalities remain. A major source of inequity is gender bias, which has a substantial negative impact on the careers, work-life balance, and mental health of underrepresented groups in science. Here, we argue that gender bias is not a single problem but manifests as a collection of distinct issues that impact researchers' lives. We disentangle these facets and propose concrete solutions that can be adopted by individuals, academic institutions, and society.