Strategy for addressing sexual and domestic violence in universities: Prevention and response

This document summarises the essential elements of an effective strategic approach to preventing, and responding to, sexual and domestic violence against women and related forms of violence and abuse in university settings. In order to respond to their institutional responsibilities, universities should address: prevention; policy; monitoring and reporting; providing and signposting specialist response and support pathways; and fostering culture change – which is key to preventing violence against women. In addition to this institutional response, it is important for student unions and other student–led organisations to work in conjunction with universities particularly in regard to shaping culture change

Evaluation of the Intervention Initiative: A bystander intervention program to prevent violence against women in universities

© 2018 Springer Publishing Company. Violence against women students is increasingly recognized as a significant public health and human rights issue. The Intervention Initiative 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 firstyear 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 t 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 (p .599). Bystander efficacy, readiness to help, and responsibility increased significantly (p < .001; d = .408-.703), and intent to help increased significantly (p = .007, d = .248). Exposure to a concurrent social marketing campaign on campus had a significant strengthening effect on improvement of attitudes to rape myths (p = .010) but not any other outcome measures. No significant backlash was identified

Help students help themselves: The Intervention Initiative

Article about the Intervention Initiative: why it was developed and what theories it is based on

The Intervention Initiative: Student feedback February 2015

The Intervention Initiative is Bystander Education Programme that was taught to 1st year Law students in 2014/2015. This document outlines the students' feedback on the programme

The Intervention Initiative: Theoretical rationale

The theoretical rationale for each of the 8 sessions of the Intervention Initiative, a Bystander Intervention Programme. The purpose of this programme is to promote change in the social environment that facilitates rape and sexual assault and domestic violence in University and Further Education settings. Its focus is on encouraging men and women to change the social norms in their peer culture that support problematic and abusive behaviours

A review of evidence for bystander intervention to prevent sexual and domestic violence in universities

This literature review is intended to be useful to a range of audiences.The 3 aims of the review are to:- set out the rationale for using a bystander approach in sexual and domestic violence prevention work at English universities- verify that all current evidence for best practice has been assimilated in the preparation of ‘The intervention initiative’ toolkit for English universities, commissioned by PHE and developed by the research team undertaking the review- bring interested parties up to date with the most recent research relating to bystander intervention methods for addressing sexual and domestic violence in university settingsIt builds on the review of bystander approaches in support of preventing violence against women published in 2011 (Powell, 2011) which summarised the evidence-based features for effective bystander approaches in support of preventing violence against women

Theory of change: The Intervention Initiative bystander intervention model for universities

Theory of change describing how the programme's teaching aims, activities and processes relate to intermediate and long-term outcomes of preventing violence against women in universities

Bystander experiences of domestic violence and abuse during the COVID-19 pandemic

This article seeks to understand the experiences of bystanders to domestic violence and abuse (DVA) during the COVID-19 pandemic in Wales. Globally, professionals voiced concern over the COVID-19 restrictions exacerbating conditions for DVA to occur. Yet evidence suggests this also increased opportunities for bystanders to become aware of DVA and take action against it. This mixed methods study consists of a quantitative online survey and follow-up interviews with survey respondents. Conducted in Wales, UK, during a national lockdown in 2021, this article reports on the experiences of 186 bystanders to DVA during the pandemic.Results suggest that bystanders had increased opportunity to become aware of DVA due to the pandemic restrictions. Results support the bystander situational model whereby respondents have to become aware of the behaviour, recognise it as a problem, feel that they possess the correct skills, and have confidence in their skills, before they will take action. Having received bystander training was a significant predictor variable in bystanders taking action against DVA; this is an important finding that should be utilised to upskill general members of the community

Multiperspectival designs and processes in interpretative phenomenological analysis research

Researchers using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) within applied research typically use homogenous samples exploring shared perspectives on a single phenomenon of interest. This article explores the challenges and opportunities involved with developing rigorous and epistemologically coherent research designs for capturing more complex and systemic experiential phenomena, through the use of multiple perspectives to explore the same phenomenon. We outline a series of multiple perspective designs and analytic procedures that can be adapted and used across many diverse settings and populations. Whilst building upon existing approaches within qualitative methods and IPA, these designs and procedures are intended to scaffold clear routes to practical application, psychological intervention, the design of behaviour change interventions, and other recommendations for policy and practice. We discuss a variety of conceptual antecedents which situate these designs within phenomenology, pluralistic idiography, qualitative psychology, and wider debates within psychology and other social and behavioural sciences

Differential susceptibility to plasticity: a 'missing link' between gene-culture co-evolution and neuropsychiatric spectrum disorders?

Brüne's proposal that erstwhile 'vulnerability' genes need to be reconsidered as 'plasticity' genes, given the potential for certain environments to yield increased positive function in the same domain as potential dysfunction, has implications for psychiatric nosology as well as a more dynamic understanding of the relationship between genes and culture. In addition to validating neuropsychiatric spectrum disorder nosologies by calling for similar methodological shifts in gene-environment-interaction studies, Brüne's position elevates the importance of environmental contexts - inclusive of socio-cultural variables - as mechanisms that contribute to clinical presentation. We assert that when models of susceptibility to plasticity and neuropsychiatric spectrum disorders are concomitantly considered, a new line of inquiry emerges into the co-evolution and co-determination of socio-cultural contexts and endophenotypes. This presents potentially unique opportunities, benefits, challenges, and responsibilities for research and practice in psychiatry