Evaluation of Green Dot: An Active Bystander Intervention to Reduce Sexual Violence on College Campuses

TLDR

The study examines how receiving Green Dot active bystander training relates to students’ self‑reported bystander actions and acceptance of rape myths. Data were collected via a cross‑sectional survey of a random sample of 7,945 college undergraduates. Among 2,504 respondents, 14% had training, which was linked to lower rape‑myth acceptance, higher self‑reported bystander behaviors, and higher active‑bystander scores compared with students who only heard a Green Dot speech or had no exposure.

Abstract

Using a cross-sectional survey of a random sample of 7,945 college undergraduates, we report on the association between having received Green Dot active bystander behavior training and the frequency of actual and observed self-reported active bystander behaviors as well as violence acceptance norms. Of 2,504 students aged 18 to 26 who completed the survey, 46% had heard a Green Dot speech on campus, and 14% had received active bystander training during the past 2 years. Trained students had significantly lower rape myth acceptance scores than did students with no training. Trained students also reported engaging in significantly more bystander behaviors and observing more self-reported active bystander behaviors when compared with nontrained students. When comparing self-reported active bystander behavior scores of students trained with students hearing a Green Dot speech alone, the training was associated with significantly higher active bystander behavior scores. Those receiving bystander training appeared to report more active bystander behaviors than those simply hearing a Green Dot speech, and both intervention groups reported more observed and active bystander behaviors than nonexposed students.