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My guest blogger today is Lindsey Roberts of the Life Paths Research Program.
If you saw somebody being bullied, left out of activities, or even abused, you could help the victim, make things worse, or do nothing. Although most of us would want to help, helping can be complicated and even risky for well-intentioned onlookers. You might be surprised to learn that the latest research shows that most incidents of bullying, aggression, or physical violence—about 2 out of 3—have at least one witness (the notable exception is sexual assault). (To learn more, see my other blog, "What Differences Do Bystanders Make?"). What influences whether someone will actually help a situation in a safe way? Our soon-to-be-published study in the Journal of Community Psychology takes a look at some of the factors that affect the choices and safety of bystanders, and finds that a victim’s social setting —family, friends, and neighborhood—are all related to bystander actions.
At any given time, we are all part of several different groups (or, environments). Your family, your school, your work, your social circle, and your neighborhood—just to name a few—help shape who you are and how you handle problems. This study looked at victims’ social environments by asking about the support they might receive from friends, family, and neighbors. Do they have caring people who are willing to listen, lend money, offer a ride, or watch their kids in an emergency? We also asked about their neighborhood. Do neighborhood kids have meaningful ways to spend their time? Would neighbors be willing step in and stop something out of the ordinary (like kids skipping school, people fighting, or people damaging property)? We asked victims these questions so that we could learn whether or not these factors play a role in how helpful and safe a bystander might be.
While social and community support weren’t related to how often a bystander was present, they were related to how helpful bystanders were. Victims who had strong social support systems—caring people in their lives—were, in most cases, nearly twice as likely to say that bystanders were helpful. Similarly, victims who lived in supportive neighborhoods were also more likely to report that witnesses helped them. Combined, victims with good social support were 22-28% more likely to report that bystanders helped them, and victims with strong community support were 11-21% more likely to report that bystanders helped them. Having a strong support system and community significantly increases the odds that when a bystander is present, she will step in and help.
Sometimes though, stepping into situations can be risky. So, are community characteristics related to bystander safety? In short, yes. Generally, victims who live in supportive communities reported that bystanders were more likely to stay safe when they stepped in to help. In most instances, they were almost twice as likely to help out in safe ways.
Strong ties to family, friends, and communities might not raise the odds that somebody will be around to see somebody who is in trouble, but they do make it more likely that when other people are around, they will step in and help. Further, these positive relationships also increase the odds that bystanders will be able to help while also staying safe. We know from past research (**link to previous blog again here) that victims are more likely to overcome their experiences when bystanders stayed safe. Stronger community connections and relationships lead to safer conditions all around. So, take the time to call that friend who you’ve been meaning to catch up with, spend some time at the family reunion, or invite your neighbors over for a barbeque—you’ll be improving your community in deeper ways than you might imagine.
Learn more about the Life Paths project at http://lifepathsresearch.org.
This project was made possible through the support of a grant from the John Templeton Foundation. The opinions expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the John Templeton Foundation.
References:
Banyard, V., Weber, M., Grych, J., & Hamby, S. (2015). Where are the helpful bystanders? Ecological niche and victims’ perceptions of bystander intervention. Journal of Community Psychology.
