Author ORCID Identifier:

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0505-1539

Date of Graduation

9-2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

Psychological Science

Advisor/Mentor

Ham, Lindsay

Committee Member

Ana Bridges

Third Committee Member

Byron Zamboanga

Keywords

alcohol use; bystander intervention; emotions; guilt; post moral disengagement; sexual violence perpetration

Abstract

Post-moral disengagement (PMD) is posited as a form of interpersonal emotion regulation that involves altering the severity of harmful conduct and/or the transgressor’s personal responsibility to facilitate avoidance of negative emotions like guilt, which could maintain problematic behaviors. A pervasive harmful behavior on college campuses is alcohol-involved sexual violence, wherein intoxication is often used as an excuse or justification for assault. Though some aggressors of sexual violence experience guilt afterwards, it is unclear how bystanders might respond to this display of emotion and the potential applicability of PMD. As an initial step to assessing PMD as interpersonal emotion regulation, the present study aimed to (1) adapt an existing hypothetical vignette depicting alcohol-involved sexual assault wherein a male aggressor expresses guilt; and (2) explore the applicability of PMD mechanisms as a form of interpersonal emotion regulation in response to the vignette. College students aged 18 and older (N = 16; 50% female) with frequent exposure to alcohol use completed cognitive interviews regarding their perceptions of and reactions to the vignette to inform the final version of the adapted vignette. Participants also answered a follow-up question on what someone in their position might do or say to comfort the aggressor. Participant responses were analyzed using a thematic analysis and hybrid coding approach, respectively. The finalized version of the vignette and follow-up question are presented based on participant feedback with a rationale for changes to the scenario. The preliminary results of bystander responses to the aggressor’s expression of guilt included the presence of PMD, strategies of direct and diffuse, encouragement of reparations, and collection of more information. Applicability to bystander intervention programming, potential clinical implications, and future research directions are discussed.

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