Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma

Innovations in Bystander Intervention to Strengthen Prevention Efforts

Now several decades old, initial enthusiasm for bystander intervention programming to prevent sexual assault and other forms of harm has waned due to limited evidence demonstrating programs’ ability to increase bystander behaviors and decrease violence at community levels (e.g., Porat et al., 2024). There is some evidence that suggests bystander intervention does change behavior, although context matters greatly (Jouriles et al., 2018; Kettrey & Marx, 2019; Mujal et al., 2023; Tyson et al., 2025; Park & Kim, 2023; Roberts et al., 2025). However, scholars have responded that limitations in demonstrating the approach’s effectiveness may be due to poor/complicated measurement (Mennicke et al., 2022), outdated theory, lack of attention to the role of power and identity (Linder et al., 2024; McMahon et al., 2025), and a continued focus on risk over strengths (Banyard, 2024). Furthermore, recent perspectives highlight an opportunity for the next generation of bystander intervention research to refine bystander intervention effectiveness. Some of these suggestions including focusing on strengths, relationships, contexts, and considering bystander burden (Banyard, 2024) as well as integrating technological approaches to support bystanders in the moment (Oesterle et al., 2026). In addition, scholars have expressed the need to look at the role of institutions, organizational climate, and the geopolitical landscape in their relationship to bystander intervention feasibility.

Manuscripts that address a wide variety of topics involving innovations in bystander intervention will be considered for this Special Issue. Of particular interest are articles that focus on methodological innovations within bystander intervention; theoretically-informed applications of bystander intervention to new forms of harm; relational and socioecological applications of bystander intervention; integration of strengths and resilience into bystander intervention; mitigation of harms or potential harms of bystander interventions for vulnerable populations, groups, and communities; and integration of technology to support bystander action.                                                                          

Topics include but are not limited to: 

• Methodological innovations within bystander intervention
• Theoretically informed applications of bystander intervention to different forms of harm
• Relational and socioecological applications of bystander intervention
• Integration of strengths and resilience into bystander intervention
• Mitigation of harms or potential harms of bystander interventions for vulnerable populations, groups, and communities
• Integration of technology to support bystander action