Internet-Based Intervention to Improve Mental Health Outcomes for Abused Women

Summary

The purpose for this trial is to test the effectiveness of the first interactive internet-based safety decision aid on abused women's exposure to repeat intimate partner violence (IPV) and mental health outcomes. An improved safety decision-making process (e.g., knowing the advantages and disadvantages of the relationship, having enough information to make a decision) will increase safety-seeking behaviors which in turn will decrease exposure to repeat IPV and improve mental health outcomes. Findings from the development and initial test of our computerized safety decision aid suggests that it offered abused women privacy to consider personalized safety options, informed them about danger in their relationship and would be used again if they had access to it through a safe internet site.

The investigators are conducting a five year experimental trial in four states (Oregon, Maryland, Missouri, and Arizona) to address the following aims:

1. Test the effectiveness of an interactive internet-based safety decision aid on abused women's safety seeking behaviors and exposure to violence compared to women assigned to control websites. The investigators hypothesize that at three, six, and 12 months post-baseline the intervention group will have increased safety seeking behaviors and reduced IPV exposure in comparison to the control group.
2. Test the effectiveness of an interactive internet-based safety decision aid on abused women's mental health compared to women assigned to control websites. The investigators hypothesize that at three, six, and 12 months post-baseline the intervention group will have improved mental health in comparison to the control group.
3. Test if the effect of an interactive internet-based safety decision aid on abused women's mental health and exposure to violence is mediated by the safety decision making process and safety-seeking behaviors. The investigators hypothesize that the intervention group will have a better decision making process and have greater safety seeking behavior over the year in comparison to the control group, and that this better decision process and increased safety seeking behavior will mediate improvement in mental health and exposure to violence at 12 months post baseline.

This study will provide much needed new information about safety planning's impact on making difficult safety decisions, exposure to violence, and mental health effects.

Conditions

• Domestic Violence

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Internet-based safety decision aid

Participants will log into the the intervention website at baseline, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months post baseline and receive: * Setting of priorities for safety; a "sliding bar" allows participants to establish priorities by making pairwise comparisons of importance between factors. * Danger Assessment; asks women to report on well-established risk factors for repeat violence and lethal IPV. A weighted scoring algorithm provides participants with their validated level of danger. * Personalized action plan. Based on a participant's answers to the previous sections, a list of safety strategies with links to resources will be presented to her. The participant is given the option to print her results and the personalized plan.

BEHAVIORAL

Usual Care Safety Plan

Participants will log into a control website at baseline, 3 months, 6 months and 12 months post baseline. Website will include the "usual services" provided to IPV survivors looking for safety planning resources on the internet. Participants will receive: * Danger Assessment, will see risk factors associated with lethal violence, but will not receive a score or feedback. * A brief emergency safety plan with links to national and state domestic violence resources as well as a suicide resource.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

  collaborator NIH

• Arizona State University

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Missouri-Columbia

  collaborator OTHER

• Oregon Health and Science University

  collaborator OTHER

• Kaiser Permanente

  collaborator OTHER

• Johns Hopkins University

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Nancy Glass, PhD · Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

OTHER

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

64 Years

Sex

FEMALE

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2011-03-31

Primary Completion

2014-05-31

Completion

2016-02-29

Countries

• United States

Study Locations