Examining Bystander Intervention during Sexual Assaults Experienced by Transgender Undergraduates

Bystander intervention programs train college students to recognize sexual violence and to intervene when it occurs. However, little research has examined how often bystanders are present at assaults experienced by transgender undergraduates or how bystanders behave when there. Therefore, little is known about how plausible it is that bystander intervention programming could address the overwhelming incidence of sexual violence perpetrated against transgender students. Therefore, the purpose of this dissertation is to determine how often bystanders are present during sexual assaults experienced by transgender students, describe what actions bystanders take, and determine if injury severity, presence of reproductive consequences, and number of psychological consequences vary based on bystander presence and bystander actions. Results from this dissertation demonstrate that the majority of assaults transgender students experienced occurred without a third party present (68.3) and that bystanders were more likely to be present at a party and during assaults perpetrated by strangers as opposed to those that occurred outside of a social situation or those committed by a current or former intimate partner. Assaults with attempted or completed penetration had significantly lower odds of having a bystander present compared to those with non-consensual contact. Additionally, results from the dissertation also indicate that when bystanders were present, the plurality of bystanders did not intervene (39), and when they did, they engaged in helpful (21) and harmful behavior (21.9). However, active harmful behaviors by bystanders, such as joining the assault, were rare. Finally, bystander behavior had a significant impact on injury severity and psychological consequences. Further, there was a statistically significant increase in the number of psychological consequences experienced by victims when bystanders engaged in harmful behavior as compared to when bystanders took no action. Helpful bystander behavior had no impact on psychological outcomes. Implications for research and programming are discussed throughout the dissertation.