Effectiveness of a Safety App to Respond to Dating Violence for College Women and Their Friends

Effectiveness of a Safety App to Respond to Dating Violence for College Women and Their Friends

Intimate partner violence (IPV), including violence in dating relationships (dating violence, DV) is a widespread and serious public health problem. Among U.S. female IPV survivors, 47.1% report their first abusive relationship occurred at college age (age 18-24). Similarly, in national surveys, adults respondents 18-24 years of age report the highest rate of stalking victimization, most commonly by a former intimate partner. Safety planning is the most widely used intervention to prevent and respond to IPV, yet the vast majority of abused women never access safety planning services. Our challenge is to increase college women's access to safety planning, with the opportunity to consider their unique safety priorities and level of danger during and when ending an abusive relationship. In addition, while "bystander" interventions that train peers to safely intervene have been shown to be effective in sexual assault prevention on campus, and college women in abusive relationships most frequently disclose IPV to a friend, no similar interventions have been tested with friends for IPV response on campuses. Therefore, the objective of the study is to evaluate the:

1. effectiveness of an interactive, personalized smart phone and web based safety application ("App") intervention in Maryland and Oregon with: 1) college women (age 18-24) who experience IPV and 2) friends (age 18-24) of women experiencing IPV. The safety decision App allows the user to enter information on: a) relationship health; b) safety priorities; and c) severity of violence/danger in relationship. The App then uses the information to provide the user with a personalized safety planning information and resources; and
2. dissemination of the App nationally to determine the reach, adoption, implementation and maintenance of App use among university/college students.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Females who report current physical violence, sexual violence, psychological abuse or stalking by a dating/intimate/ex-intimate partner, or who have a female friend currently experiencing abuse from dating/intimate/ex-intimate partner.
• Males who have a female friend currently experiencing physical violence, sexual violence, psychological abuse or stalking by a dating/intimate/ex-intimate partner
• English speaking
• Between the ages of 18-24 years old
• Attend a college in Maryland or Oregon
• Enrolled in college or university (at least part time)
• Have access to a safe smart-phone or computer with internet and are comfortable downloading an app or using the internet
• Have a safe email address

Exclusion Criteria:

• Younger than 18 years of age
• Older than 24 years of age
• Cannot read/speak English
• Live outside targeted states
• No access to safe smart phone or computer with internet
• Uncomfortable with downloading an app
• No access to a safe email address
• Does not report current violence from an intimate partner or having a female friend that has experienced intimate partner violence