Effect of Alcohol Intoxication on Bystander Intervention in a Vignette Depiction of Sexual Assault

Objective: Alcohol-related sexual violence remains a public health problem. Despite the popularity of sexual assault bystander intervention programs, these may be limited in addressing bystander intoxication because the effects of intoxication on intervening in a sexual assault are unknown. Therefore, we tested the effects of alcohol intoxication on the five steps of bystander intervention in a sexual assault vignette. Method: Young adults (N = 128; 50% women) were randomly assigned to consume alcohol (target blood alcohol concentration = 0.08%; n = 64) or a nonalcoholic control beverage (n = 64) in a bar-laboratory. Next, participants were presented with a vignette describing events occurring in a convivial drinking context that ends with nonconsensual sexual behavior. Latané and Darley’s bystander intervention model steps were assessed in a semistructured interview. Results: Participants in the control condition recalled the story more accurately (Step 1: notice the event) and reported greater risk/need for intervention (Step 2), but they did not differ on the latter three steps of bystander intervention compared with alcohol-condition participants. Intoxication effects were similar for men and women. Furthermore, risk/need for intervention (Step 2) partially mediated the effect of alcohol condition on personal responsibility (Step 3) and relative benefits versus costs from intervening (Step 4). Conclusions: Prevention programs should consider the effects of alcohol on detecting a sexual assault and the need to intervene. If intoxicated bystanders do not detect a sexual assault, then bystanders will not reach the crucial steps (i.e., taking responsibility for intervening; willingness and ability to intervene) required to intervene successfully

The interaction of rape myth acceptance and alcohol intoxication on bystander intervention

Bystander interventions for sexual assault promote third-party interference. People who endorse rape myths blame victims more and perpetrators less; consequently, rape myth acceptance (RMA) can impede helping behaviors toward sexual assault victims. Acute alcohol intoxication may exacerbate the effects of RMA on bystander intervention. In this study, we examined the influence of RMA—and potential moderating effect of acute alcohol intoxication—on predictors of bystander intervention. Young adults (N = 128) completed a survey in a lab setting, then consumed either an alcoholic or control beverage, read and listened to a fictional sexual assault scenario, and finally completed a semi-structured interview and postexperiment survey assessing their perceptions of the scenario. Using multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA), we found people with higher RMA blamed the victim more and perpetrator less; they were also less likely to perceive responsibility to intervene for a sexual assault victim. Alcohol intoxication did not exacerbate these effects. That is, alcohol intoxication was not a context in which RMA was expressed more strongly. We recommend bystander programs continue to address RMA, specifically as a barrier to intervening