Topic: Intimate Partner Violence, Sexual Assault
Target Population: Adolescents
Sector: School-Based
This program is for high school students.
Bringing in the Bystander® (BITB) High School, an interactive school-based program, is based on the Bringing in the Bystander College Prevention Program* and is designed to encourage and empower students to become positive bystanders in situations of sexual and interpersonal violence and harassment.
*A separate fact sheet is available for this program.
Results from a randomized controlled trial indicated increases in media literacy and decreases in bystander denial at a 12-month follow-up; however, there were no effects on main outcomes of violence perpetration or victimization.
BITB High School is implemented in the classroom and teaches participants how to identify problem situations and practical skills they could use to safely intervene. The program is delivered in seven modules and covers topics including relationship abuse, sexual assault, the spectrum of abuse, warning signs, positive bystander strategies, and scenarios.
The program includes lecture, large- and small-group discussions, interactive exercises, small-group work, opportunities to practice skills, and role-play scenarios.
BITB High School was developed at the University of New Hampshire’s Prevention Innovations Research Center and is distributed by Soteria Solutions. The program has been evaluated in 26 high schools; however, implementation beyond this evaluation is unclear.
This program is delivered by faculty, staff, or community volunteers. Sessions are co-facilitated by one male and one female. Training is optional but recommended. Soteria Solutions offers a variety of train-the-trainer options, including off-site, on-site, or virtual training. One-day, in-person training for up to 40 participants costs $400-$475. Virtual training lasts 7 hours, is split over 2 days, and costs $400 per session. The facilitator’s guide also provides guidance for how to implement the program and is included in the cost of the 3-year curriculum license.
Considerations for implementing this program include recruiting facilitators and allowing them to complete training, if desired; acquiring school administration buy-in; and making time in an established curriculum for program sessions.
The Clearinghouse can help address these considerations. Please call 1-877-382-9185 or email clearinghouse@psu.edu
If you are interested in implementing BITB High School, the Clearinghouse is interested in helping you! Please call 1-877-382-9185 or email clearinghouse@psu.edu
The program contains seven 45-minute modules.
License pricing varies by the size of the school. For high schools with up to 750 students, a bundle package, which includes training for one individual, a 3-year license to the curriculum and materials, access to the online forum, the Bringing in the Bystander listserv, and 2 hours of support via phone or videoconference, costs $1,300. Please use details in the Contact section for more information on training packages and costs.
To move BITB High School to the Promising category on the Clearinghouse Continuum of Evidence, at least one evaluation with a strong study design should be performed demonstrating positive, sustained effects lasting at least one year from the beginning of the program or at least six months from program completion.
The Clearinghouse can help you develop an evaluation plan to ensure the program components are meeting your goals. Please call 1-877-382-9185 or email clearinghouse@psu.edu
Contact the Clearinghouse with any questions regarding this program. Phone: 1-877-382-9185 Email: clearinghouse@psu.edu
You may also contact Soteria Solutions by mail 8 Jenkins Court, Suite 401, Durham, NH 03824, phone 1-603-815-4190, email info@soteriasolutions.org, or visit https://www.soteriasolutions.org/contact-soteria-solutions
Edwards, K. M., Banyard, V. L., Sessarego, S. N., Waterman, E. A., Mitchell, K. J., & Chang, H. (2019). Evaluation of a bystander-focused interpersonal violence prevention program with high school students. Prevention Science, 20(4), 488-498. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-019-01000-w
Edwards, K. M., Lee, K. D. M., Waterman, E. A., & Banyard, V. L. (2019). Implementation science analysis of a school-delivered bystander-focused violence prevention curriculum. School Social Work Journal, 44(1), 1-23.
Edwards, K. M., Sessarego, S. N., Mitchell, K. J., Chang, H., Waterman, E. A., & Banyard, V. L. (2020). Preventing teen relationship abuse and sexual assault through bystander training: Intervention outcomes for school personnel. American Journal of Community Psychology, 65(1-2), 160-172. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajcp.12379
Edwards, K. M., Waterman, E. A., Lee, K. D. M., Himlin, L., Parm, K., & Banyard, V. L. (2021). Feasibility and acceptability of a high school relationship abuse and sexual assault bystander prevention program: School personnel and student perspectives. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 36(13-14), NP7070-NP7085. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260518824655
Lee, K. D. M., Edwards, K. M., Banyard, V. L., Eckstein, R. P., & Sessarego, S. N. (2021). Youth strategies for positive bystander action in situations of dating and sexual violence: Implications for measurement and programming. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 36(13-14), NP7653-NP7674. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260519829287
Waterman, E. A., Edwards, K. M., Banyard, V. L., & Chang, H. (2021). Age and sexual orientation moderated the effects of a bystander-focused interpersonal violence prevention program for high school students. Prevention Science. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-021-01245-4
