Intervene: Modeling Pro-Social Bystander Behavior in College Students through Online Video

This study evaluates the impact of a theory- and empirical evidence- based 20-minute video, Intervene, on college students' intentions to intervene on behalf of others in multiple problematic situations: an alcohol emergency, emotional distress, hazing, intimate partner violence, racial bias, sexual assault, and sexual harassment. A randomized controlled trial of undergraduate and graduate students (N = 1,243) was conducted to determine the effectiveness of the video as an intervention for increasing students' self-reported likelihood to engage in pro-social bystander behavior across these various situations. Results showed that participants who viewed the video online reported higher likelihood at 4 weeks post-viewing to intervene in situations involving hazing, intimate partner violence, racial bias, and sexual harassment than did their control group counterparts. Intervene is the first video-based bystander education intervention shown to be effective, even 4 weeks after viewing, at increasing college students' self-reported likelihood to intervene in multiple problematic social situations. Providing access to this free online video represents a cost-effective prevention and communication strategy that can be employed by other colleges and universities.