Who Steps in and for Whom? The Impact of Bystander Relationship and Victim Gender on the Likelihood of Helping Behavior During Sexual Harassment.

Bystanders are most frequently present prior to a sexual assault, wherein it is possible that bystanders witness sexual harassment (e.g. sexist jokes, unwanted touching). The relationship between the victim and the sex of the victim can impact bystander intervention during sexual violence. As such, the present study examines how the presence of certain types of bystanders (e.g. friends) during sexual harassment influences the likelihood of bystander intervention, and whether the gender of the victim moderates this relationship. Participants included 724 college students (78.9% female; 82.9% White; 89.4% heterosexual) ages 18 to 24 (Mage = 18.97, SDage = 1.12) who reported at least one experience of sexual harassment, the presence of a witness during sexual harassment, and indicated whether a bystander intervened. Two binomial linear regressions were conducted. Friends were less likely to intervene than roommates or family, but more likely than acquaintances or strangers. Although gender moderation was not supported, male victims reported that bystanders were less likely to intervene compared to bystanders of female victims. Consistent with previous work, the odds of bystander intervention are significantly related to the context in which sexual harassment occurs. Family members and roommates may feel a stronger sense of responsibility to intervene due to their closeness to the victim compared to other bystander types. Men who experienced sexual harassment were less likely to report bystander intervention during sexual harassment than women, which suggests barriers to helping behavior. Implications for bystander programming, clinical work, and future research are discussed.