Engage: A bystander intervention training for U.S. Army soldiers

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Military Psychology
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• High-risk occupations face challenges like substance misuse and misconduct.
• Peer intervention is crucial for addressing at-risk behaviors in military settings.
• The U.S. Army developed the
• Engage
• training to empower soldiers in bystander intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of the
• Engage
• bystander intervention training.
• To assess changes in soldiers' knowledge, confidence, and unit engagement post-training.
• To identify areas for improvement in military-specific bystander intervention programs.

Main Methods:

• A longitudinal quasi-randomized evaluation was conducted with active-duty soldiers.
• Eight companies received the
• Engage
• training, while eight served as a control group.
• Surveys assessed training acceptability, knowledge, confidence, and unit engagement over nine months.

Main Results:

• Soldiers found the
• Engage
• training acceptable and reported improved knowledge of bystander intervention.
• Perceptions of unit engagement in bystander practices increased over time.
• Soldier confidence in intervening remained high but showed no significant training-induced change.

Conclusions:

• The
• Engage
• training shows potential for enhancing bystander intervention knowledge and unit climate in the military.
• Confidence levels in intervening require further attention and potentially different intervention strategies.
• Tailoring bystander intervention programs is essential for military personnel and other high-risk occupations.