Examining the Role of Alcohol and Cannabis Use Patterns in Bystander Opportunity and Behavior for Sexual and Relationship Aggression

A study was conducted to examine how patterns of alcohol and cannabis use are associated with bystander intervention in situations involving the risk of sexual and relationship violence among college students. Researchers aimed to explore whether students' substance use influenced their awareness of risky situations (referred to as bystander opportunities) and their likelihood of taking action (bystander behaviors). Two key hypotheses guided this investigation: the first being that the frequency of bystander opportunities would vary depending on the students’ patterns of alcohol and cannabis use, and the second that among those who reported bystander opportunities, their actual intervention behaviors would also differ based on their substance use patterns.

The study recruited 870 students from two large, minority-serving universities in the United States, all of whom reported using cannabis in the past year. These students were asked to share information about their typical patterns of alcohol and cannabis use, along with their experiences of noticing risky situations and their actions to intervene. Based on the reported average use, the participants were grouped into four categories: students who used both alcohol and cannabis on the same day, those who used only alcohol, those who used only cannabis, and those who reported no substance use.

The findings revealed that students who reported using both alcohol and cannabis on the same day experienced more opportunities to act as bystanders and took more action in situations involving risks of sexual and relationship violence, compared to those who used only alcohol. On the other hand, students who reported using only cannabis or abstaining from both substances identified fewer opportunities to intervene and reported less bystander behavior in social settings like parties.

These results highlight that patterns of alcohol and cannabis use are connected to bystander intervention behaviors. This insight emphasizes the importance of including information about cannabis and the combined use of substances in bystander intervention programs aimed at reducing the risks of sexual and relationship violence. The study underlines the need to tailor educational efforts to consider how different substance use patterns might influence students' readiness to intervene and help keep others safe.