Predicting Bystander Efficacy and Willingness to Intervene in College Men and Women: The Role of Exposure to Varying Levels of Violence in Pornography (2016)

Violence Against Women. 2016 May 22. pii: 1077801216648793.

Foubert JD¹, Bridges AJ².

Abstract

Students from two research universities completed items measuring the frequency of their using different kinds of pornography, and measures of their willingness and intent to intervene to help a bystander who might be experiencing sexual violence.

Hierarchical logistic regressions showed that for men, violent/degrading pornography use, but not explicit but non-degrading pornography use, was significantly associated with reduced bystander willingness to intervene, but not associated with bystander efficacy. Women did not show the same impact of violent/degrading pornography use on the two bystander intervention variables.

Results suggest violence/degrading pornography may contribute to a culture of acceptance of violence against women.

KEYWORDS:

bystander intervention; pornography; violence