Bystanders’ Intentions to Help in Domestic and Intimate Partner Violence: a Cross-Cultural Comparison of the UK and China

Domestic and intimate partner violence (DIPV) is a major global issue. While bystander intervention is a key prevention strategy, its drivers are poorly understood outside of Western societies. This study aimed to identify and compare the psychosocial factors affecting bystander intervention intentions among community members in the United Kingdom (UK) and China. A total of 463 adults (221 Chinese, 242 UK) completed a self-report online survey. Key constructs measured included bystander intent to help, perceptions of injunctive and descriptive norms, attitudes justifying gender-based DIPV (sexism beliefs, acceptability, myths, victim-blaming), and perceived personal responsibility. Analyses included t-tests for group comparisons and sequential regression and moderation analyses to examine associations between psychosocial factors and bystander intervention intentions. Significant cross-cultural differences were observed across most variables. UK participants reported higher intent to help, stronger injunctive norms, and greater personal responsibility, whereas Chinese participants reported greater endorsement of descriptive norms and violence-justifying beliefs. Sequential regression analyses showed that personal responsibility was the strongest psychosocial correlate of intent, followed by injunctive and descriptive norms, while acceptance and sexism emerged as key attitudinal inhibitors. Tests of moderation provided no evidence that associations between these factors and bystander intervention intentions differed across cultural contexts. This study extends bystander research beyond its predominantly Western focus. The findings support ecological models of bystander intervention, showing that intentions are shaped by factors operating at both the level of individual cognition and the wider cultural environment. Prevention programs should therefore move beyond uniform designs and be adapted to the sociocultural contexts in which they are implemented.