Bystander Intoxication and Appraisal of Sexual Assault Risk: A Field Study of Emerging Adult Bargoers

Abstract

Emerging adults are especially vulnerable to experiencing alcohol-related sexual assault. While bystanders play a critical role in preventing sexual assault, little is known about how bystander alcohol intoxication affects the intervention process-particularly in naturalistic settings. We recruited 315 emerging adult bargoers ages 21-29 (46% women; 28% non-college attending; 81% White) from a high-density bar area to provide responses to a sexual assault vignette and complete a breath alcohol concentration test. In this field-based study, we found a negative direct association between intoxication and appraisal of risk in the hypothetical sexual assault situation. We also found a negative indirect relation of intoxication on perceptions of personal responsibility to intervene and confidence in the ability to intervene, statistically mediated through reduced risk appraisal. Findings add to the limited literature in laboratory-based settings suggesting that bystander intoxication interferes with sexual assault intervention and help inform effective bystander intervention programming for emerging adults.

Keywords: alcohol; bystander intervention; emerging adults; intoxication; sexual assault.

Figure 1.

Indirect relations of breath alcohol concentration on personal responsibility and confidence to intervene through risk appraisal. Note. Depicts standardized bootstrapped coefficients in the mediation model (N = 315). “Dangerousness” item was the marker variable for the Step 2 latent variable. Dotted lines represent significant indirect effects. Vignette: Victim intoxication and vignette: Perpetrator intoxication represent the randomly assigned victim and perpetrator intoxication conditions, respectively, entered as covariates (coded as 0 = minimal intoxication; 1 = high intoxication). *p < .05. ***p < .001.