Bystanders' reactions to witnessing repetitive abuse experiences

Abstract

The Impact of Event Scale-Revised (D. S. Weiss & C. R. Marmar, 1997) was used to obtain self-reported trauma levels from 587 young adults recalling childhood or adolescence experiences as witnesses to common forms of repetitive abuse defined as bullying. Mean participant scores were in a range suggesting potential need for clinical assessment at the time these events occurred. Multiple regression analysis identified significant predictors of distress levels, with intensity of abuse being the strongest. Additional results and implications of findings are discussed. © 2009 by the American Counseling Association.