NCJ Number
237811
Journal
Journal of Interpersonal Violence Volume: 25 Issue: 3 Dated: March 2010 Pages: 503-517
Date Published
March 2010
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This study examined personal attitudes supporting sexual aggression and perceived peer attitudes supporting sexual aggression of male college students.
Abstract
Male college students (N=395) completed anonymous surveys to report personal attitudes supporting sexual aggression and estimated the attitudes of their peers. Participants also indicated their willingness to intervene against a peer if they witnessed sexual aggression. Although both personal and peer attitudes were correlated with willingness to intervene, in regression analyses only perceived peer attitudes emerged as a significant predictor of willingness to intervene. Results suggest that personal attitudes supporting sexual aggression are not as relevant to men's willingness to intervene against sexual aggression as are perceived peer norms regarding sexual aggression. Findings are relevant to sexual assault prevention education with men, suggesting that attempts to encourage bystander intervention may be best presented in the context of challenging perceived norms. (Published Abstract)