Training bar staff to serve as active bystanders in the prevention of substance-involved sexual assault: a quasi-experimental field evaluation of behavioural effects of the Raise the Bar programme

ABSTRACTThis study is a quasi-experimental field evaluation of Raise the Bar (RTB), a prevention programme that trains bar staff to intervene when witnessing risk factors for sexual assault. Previous studies have demonstrated effects of similar programmes on attitudes/knowledge among bar staff. Yet, no studies have examined the effects of such programmes on intervention behaviour. Using a waitlist control design, we conducted thirty observations at four trained and four waitlist control bars in a rural U.S. college town, enacting scripts that matched the prompts for intervention that were included in the RTB curriculum implemented at the trained bars. Findings indicated staff at trained bars were significantly more likely to intervene than staff at the waitlisted bars, but this effect attenuated when control variables were included in the model. RTB appears promising, but further research is needed to fully establish its effects on intervention behaviour before recommending wide-spread rollout.Practice Impact Statement Findings from this study suggest that training bar staff to act as prosocial bystanders has the potential to prevent alcohol-involved sexual assault among college students. Yet, it is important to note that, although staff at trained bars were more likely to intervene than staff at waitlist control bars, intervention was relatively rare and the effect of training attenuated when controlling for contextual factors. Stronger evidence of the effects of such training needs to accumulate before community agencies widely implement these programmes.KEYWORDS: AlcoholSexual assaultPreventionBystanderBartender Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Ethics ApprovalApproval was obtained from Clemson University’s Institutional Review Board (IRB 2022-0098). The procedures used in this study adhere to the tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki.Additional informationFundingNo funding was received for conducting this study.