Evaluating the Effectiveness of an Online Intervention to Educate College Students About Dating Violence and Bystander Responses

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to conduct a randomized controlled trial to assess the efficacy of STOP Dating Violence, an online intervention developed to educate students about dating violence and appropriate bystander interventions on college campuses. College students ( N = 317) were randomly assigned to one of the three conditions: (a) the STOP Dating Violence intervention, (b) a website containing information about dating violence, or (c) a control condition. Participants completed pre- and posttest quantitative and qualitative measures to assess knowledge of warning signs and appropriate bystander behaviors, attitudes about intervening as a bystander, willingness to intervene, and self-efficacy regarding intervening. The results indicated that students who participated in the STOP Dating Violence intervention were the most knowledgeable about jealous warning signs of dating violence and appropriate bystander interventions, had the greatest intent to assist a victim of dating violence, and were the most confident in their ability to intervene in dating violence situations, when compared with participants in the website and control conditions. Those who participated in the intervention also demonstrated greater knowledge regarding appropriate bystander behaviors 1 month following the intervention. No differences were found in attitudes regarding helping someone in an abusive dating relationship or engagement in bystander behaviors at follow-up. Qualitative analyses provided further support for the efficacy of STOP Dating Violence in increasing knowledge of barriers to bystander intervention and appropriate bystander intervention strategies in dating violence situations. Overall, the STOP Dating Violence intervention has the potential to educate undergraduates about dating violence and bystander interventions on college campuses.

A mixed‐method pilot study to test a program for friend‐supporters of victims of dating violence

“…Perhaps because the sample comprised volunteers, the participants of this study showed higher levels in victim understanding and willingness to help from the baseline. This is consistent with a recent study that reported no changes in attitudes of helping DV victims before and after conducting the program, since the voluntary participants of their study already showed a positive attitude at the beginning of the study (O'Brien et al, 2019). However, victim understanding and willingness to help formed the major crux of the participants' learning, as stated during the interviews.…”

Commuter Students’ Readiness to Help in Incidents of Campus Sexual Violence

“…Many institutions of higher education are turning to online sexual violence prevention programming. While these online programs are cost-effective, not all are created equal in terms of curriculum and quality; and not all have demonstrated effectiveness across all prevention indicators (O'Brien et al, 2021;Zapp et al, 2021). However, these programs may create a unique opportunity to help equalize the playing field when it comes to educating commuter students on resources for sexual violence and working to increase RTH in incidents of sexual violence.…”

Improving Undergraduate Students’ Responses to Bereaved Peers: An Innovative Online Intervention

“…Using a 6-point response scale (1 = strongly disagree ; 6 = strongly agree ), participants indicated the degree to which they agreed with 13 items developed by the authors to assess knowledge about the specific steps described in the CARES intervention. Some of the items were adapted from the Knowledge Regarding Appropriate Bystander Interventions measure (O’Brien et al, 2021). An example of an adapted item was “Not saying anything about the person who died may be the best response as the friend might feel sad,” which was adapted from “Not saying anything about dating violence may be the best response as the victim could be very embarrassed.” Other adapted items include “It’s better to act like nothing happened so the friend who is grieving does not have to think about the death” and “Listening to the grieving friend is more helpful than telling them about your past loss.”…”

“…Confidence in one’s ability to communicate effectively with grieving peers was measured using eight items that were adapted from a measure about bystander self-efficacy in dating violence situations (O’Brien et al, 2021). Participants responded to the items using a 6-point response scale (1 = strongly disagree ; 6 = strongly agree ); for example, “I am confident that I can listen to someone who is grieving without telling them what to do,” which was adopted from “I am confident that I can listen to someone who is in an abusive relationship without telling them what to do.” Other adapted items included “I am confident that I can provide referrals for grief-related resources to someone who is grieving” and “I have the ability to help someone who is grieving.” Responses were summed to create a measure of self-efficacy in one’s ability to communicate effectively with grieving peers.…”

“…For example, AlcoholEdu, a widely used online course for undergraduates, yielded a consistent increase in alcohol-related knowledge (Barry et al, 2016). Also, an online intervention focused on dating violence and bystander interventions improved knowledge and self-efficacy immediately and a month after the intervention (O’Brien et al, 2021). Moreover, a well-being-focused intervention with a module on active listening and positive communication enhanced college students’ overall happiness and satisfaction with life (Koydemir & Sun-Selışık, 2016).…”