Effectiveness of an Online Safety Tool for Canadian Women Experiencing Intimate Partner Violence

Summary

The purpose of this study is to assess the effectiveness of an interactive, online safety decision aid among diverse Canadian women who are experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV). The investigators will also explore how the online intervention works, and whether it has different effects for different groups of women.

Conditions

• Domestic Violence

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Setting Priorities for Safety

Participants rate the importance of 5 priorities to decision-making about their unsafe relationship by comparing the relative importance of each pair of priorities. Weights for each priority are computed and provided to the woman, along with examples of safety strategies that fit with her top ranked priority.

BEHAVIORAL

Danger Assessment

Participants complete a calendar to show episodes of physical and/or sexual violence they have experienced in the past 12, along with 20 questions assessing risk of serious or lethal violence. A standardized weighted score is provided, along with a brief explanation about her level of danger and appropriate actions she may take.

BEHAVIORAL

Personalized Action Plan

Women create a tailored action plan for themselves by selecting strategies from 8 different groups, including those which are recommended to them based on their responses to previous questions.

BEHAVIORAL

General risk and safety information

Participants receive general information about the importance of priorities in making safety decisions and risk factors for intimate partner violence.

BEHAVIORAL

Basic Emergency Safety Plan

Participants are provided with a basic emergency plan including information about local DV resources. The information is not personalized but is consistent with online information which women could find on their own (usual care)

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)

  collaborator OTHER_GOV

• University of British Columbia

  collaborator OTHER

• University of New Brunswick

  collaborator OTHER

• McMaster University

  collaborator OTHER

• Johns Hopkins University

  collaborator OTHER

• Kaiser Permanente

  collaborator OTHER

• Western University, Canada

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Marilyn Ford-Gilboe, PhD · Western University

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

DOUBLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

19 Years

Sex

FEMALE

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2014-10-31

Primary Completion

2017-01-31

Completion

2017-03-31

Countries

• Canada

Study Locations