Engaging men as prosocial bystanders in nightlife settings: Behavioural insights for sexual harassment prevention

Sexual harassment in nightlife settings remains a serious concern for public health and law enforcement; however, opportunities for primary prevention approaches, including the intervention of prosocial bystanders, show potential. Nevertheless, little is known about the nuanced barriers and facilitators to intervene which groups of nightlife users experience, particularly men. This mixed-methods study examines behavioural determinants of prosocial bystander intervention in sexual harassment situations within South Wales’ nighttime economy. Research combined interviews (n = 30) and focus groups (n = 3) with men aged 18–54 years, to develop five distinct personas representing different psychological profiles of potential male bystanders. The research applies the COM-B (Capability, Opportunity, Motivation-Behaviour) model to understand barriers and facilitators to intervention. Results reveal that while motivational factors vary across personas, psychological capability barriers, particularly lack of knowledge about safe intervention methods and legal implications, are universal. The study highlights the multidimensional nature of motivation, capability, and opportunity influencing intervention, revealing that unwillingness to intervene is not simply one of ignorance or apathy, but of complex trade-offs between personal safety, social cohesion, and ethical responsibility. The persona-based approach reveals significant heterogeneityin the psychological processes underlying intervention decisions. Rather than treating potential bystanders as a homogeneous group, the study demonstrates that different individuals require different types of support and messaging to overcome their specific barriers and provides evidence-based recommendations for tailored communication strategies essential for effective behaviour change in sexual harassment prevention. These findings contribute to the growing literature on bystander intervention theory and offer practical insights for violence prevention practitioners and campaigns.