1 TPC Digest Matthew Peck, Diana M. Doumas, Aida Midgett Examination of the Bystander Intervention Model Among Middle School Students: School bullying is a significant problem in the United States, with one out of four students reporting bullying and approximately 80% observing bullying as a bystander. Bullying victimization and witnessing bullying are related to depressive symptoms and anxiety, among other adverse effects. Bystanders can respond to bullying in several ways, including encouraging the bully by directly acting as “assistants” or indirectly acting as “reinforcers,” walking away from bullying situations acting as “outsiders,” or attempting to intervene to help the target by acting as “defenders.” Bullying decreases when bystanders intervene; however, four out of five bystanders will not intervene. Prior research has focused primarily on specific factors that contribute to this outcome. The current study uses the Bystander Intervention Model as a conceptual framework to understand the process for bystanders to intervene to help targets of bullying. This model outlines five sequential steps that a bystander must undergo in order to take action: (a) Notice the Event, (b) Interpret the Event as an Emergency, (c) Accept Responsibility, (d) Know How to Act, and (e) Decision to Intervene. We examined the Bystander Intervention Model among students trained in the STAC program. STAC is a brief bullying bystander intervention that stands for four bystander intervention strategies: Stealing the Show, Turning It Over, Accompanying Others, and Coaching Compassion. This is the first study to examine bystander training within the context of the Bystander Intervention Model. We examined the following research questions: (a) Are there differences in student engagement in the five steps of the Bystander Intervention Model from baseline to the 6-week follow-up between bystanders and non-bystanders? (b) Is there a difference in defending behavior from baseline to the 6-week follow-up between bystanders and non-bystanders? and (c) Which of the five steps uniquely predict defending behavior at the 6-week follow-up? Middle school participants (N = 79) in grades 6–8 completed surveys before the training and 6 weeks following. Results indicated students trained in STAC reported changes in engagement in three of the five steps of the model and an increase in defending behavior from baseline to follow-up assessment. Further, two of the five steps of the model were uniquely associated with defending behavior post-training. These findings are particularly promising, as the steps Notice the Event and Decision to Intervene both increased from baseline to the 6-week follow-up for students who witnessed bullying post-training. Thus, among students who witness bullying as bystanders, the STAC intervention was effective in increasing the two steps of the bystander model that are uniquely associated with defending behavior. Counselors can conceptualize bystander behavior using the Bystander Intervention Model, assessing engagement in each step of the model and providing education to enhance engagement in each step as needed. By focusing on specific steps within the Bystander Intervention Model, counselors can break down the complex process of bullying bystander behavior and have a better understanding of what enables students to intervene when they witness bullying. Matthew Peck, PhD, LPC, is an assistant professor at the University of Arkansas. Diana M. Doumas, PhD, LPC, is Distinguished Professor of Counselor Education at Boise State University. Aida Midgett, PhD, LPC, is a professor at Boise State University. Correspondence may be addressed to Matthew Peck, 100 Graduate Education Building, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, mattpeck@uark.edu. 1 A Preliminary Study
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