Bystander role orientations in image-based sexual abuse: Initial steps in developing and operationalizing the concept

Research on victims and perpetrators of image-based sexual abuse (IBSA) has demonstrated that bystanders play a key role in the causes and consequences of intimate image dissemination. Yet, few concentrated efforts have been made to conceptualize and shed light on the behaviors and cognitions of this group. Drawing on the participant role approach to school bullying, this study describes the development and psychometric assessment of a multidimensional instrument designed to measure young people's self-predictions of how they will respond to IBSA incidents. Using data from a sample of 814 Norwegian adolescents (ages 16–20 years), we investigate the underlying factor structure, internal consistency, measurement invariance, and construct validity of the instrument. The resulting 16-item Responses to Image-Based Sexual Abuse (ReIBSA) scale consists of four internally consistent dimensions—supporter, objector, insider and moralist responses to intimate image dissemination—that are invariant across groups based on gender, sexual orientation, and lifetime experience with IBSA. Our findings also lend support to the convergent, known-groups, and incremental validity of the scale. In summary, the ReIBSA scale appears to be a promising tool for conceptualizing and measuring bystander responses to IBSA. • As In the case of school bullying, bystanders play a key role in image-based sexual abuse (IBSA). • We developed the ReIBSA scale to measure how people expect to respond if they become witness to intimate image dissemination. • This study explores the psychometric properties of the ReIBSA scale in a sample of 814 Norwegian adolescents (16–20 years). • The final 16-item instrument consists of four dimensions: supporter, objector, insider and moralist responses to IBSA. • This study shows promising results regarding the internal consistency and construct validity of the ReIBSA scale.