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

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

462 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2014-10-31

Study Completion Date

2017-03-31

Brief Summary

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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.

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Detailed Description

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1 in 3 Canadian women experience IPV in their lifetimes. Over time, chronic stress of living in an abusive relationship has been shown to contribute to depression, anxiety and PTSD. Safety planning to reduce the risk of physical and emotional harm in abusive situations is one of the most widely recommended interventions for women in abusive relationship. However, fewer than 1 in 5 Canadian women access support from violence services to assist them in safety planning. Rural, Aboriginal, racialized, immigrant, sexual minority women and women who prioritize their privacy face particular barriers to accessing information and support for safety planning.

We adapted an interactive, online safety decision aid (SDA) recently developed and tested in the U.S. (Glass and colleagues, 2010) so that it applies to diverse groups of Canadian women, and extends the focus on emotional safety. The tool was revised based on a pilot testing for content and usability with 30 women (15 women who had experienced IPV and 15 service providers/experts). In this study, we test the effectiveness of this new tool, called "I CAN Plan 4 Safety" in a sample of 450 women from 3 provinces (ON, BC, New Brunswick). Women will be randomly assigned to complete either the personalized online safety decision aid (intervention) or an online tool which contains general risk and safety information (usual care control). Both tools are located on a confidential, password protected website. After initial completion of the online tools, they will be asked to login to the websites 3, 6 and 12 months later to complete standard outcome assessments. Women may access the information and resources in the online tools at any time for a 12 month period after they enrol in the study.

Conditions

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Domestic Violence

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

PREVENTION

Blinding Strategy

DOUBLE

Participants Investigators

Study Groups

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Personalized online Safety Decision Aid

Setting priorities for safety; Danger Assessment; Personalized Action Plan

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Setting Priorities for Safety

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

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.

Danger Assessment

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

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.

Personalized Action Plan

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

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.

General Online Risk/Safety Information

General Risk and Safety Information; Basic Emergency Safety Plan

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

General risk and safety information

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

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

Basic Emergency Safety Plan

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

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)

Interventions

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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.

Intervention Type 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.

Intervention Type 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.

Intervention Type 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.

Intervention Type 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)

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Women
* 19 years and older,
* English-speaking,
* Living in Ontario, New Brunswick, or British Columbia,
* Reports current physical, sexual or emotional abuse in the context of coercive control from a current or former partner (boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, wife, or intimate/sexual partner)
* Expresses comfort with and access to a safe computer with internet
* Access to safe email and mailing address

Exclusion Criteria

* Men
* Under 19 years of age
* Cannot read/speak English
* Living outside of the 3 study sites
* Uncomfortable using a computer or internet
* No access to a safe computer with internet
* No access to safe email and mailing address
* Does not report current violence from an intimate partner

Minimum Eligible Age

19 Years

Eligible Sex

FEMALE

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes