Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Research Protocols
Date Submitted: Oct 11, 2024
Date Accepted: Nov 13, 2025
Improving experimental designs for Interventions to reduce intimate partner violence: protocol for refinements to single case experimental design for a safety planning intervention in Ontario, Canada
ABSTRACT
Background:
Background:
Intimate partner violence (IPV) affects two in five women in Canada, leading to both physical and mental health consequences. Safety planning is a secondary prevention intervention designed to assist those experiencing IPV to take steps to increase their safety and decrease contact with their abuser. Safety planning is shown to help survivors mitigate the negative mental health effects of IPV and encourage actions to increase safety, but evaluation outside the United States remains limited.
Objective:
Objectives: This study protocol aims to outline how our team plans to use Single Case Experimental Design (SCED) to evaluate the effectiveness of a web-based safety planning intervention (WITHWomen Pathways) for women experiencing IPV in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). The study also explores whether women can be safely engaged for intense follow-up and whether retrospective recall strategies can be effectively used to collect SCED baseline measures.
Methods:
Methods:
SCED involves multiple baseline and post-intervention assessments of a small number of women experiencing IPV (n=6). Participants will be recruited from IPV service organizations across the GTA. SCED allows for rigorous within-subject comparison, using repeated measures on three primary outcomes (decisional conflict, empowerment to take safety actions, use of safety strategies), and two secondary, mental health outcomes (depressive symptoms, anxiety) over multiple time points. The evaluation consists of five phases: recruitment, eligibility screening, multiple baseline interviews, intervention (web-app delivery), and multiple post-intervention assessments. The creation of rigorous protocols for maintaining safety and flexible data collection methods (in-person, phone, or online) are also discussed.
Results:
Results:
Recruitment began in July 2024, with three participants currently enrolled. All participants have completed multiple baseline assessments. Full recruitment is expected by the end of 2024, with ongoing assessments to determine the intervention's impact on the selected outcome measures.
Conclusions:
Conclusions:
The SCED approach may offer a novel and ethical evaluation method for IPV interventions at a lower cost and with improved safety than traditional randomized control trials. If effective, the WITHWomen Pathways web-app could significantly improve help-seeking and safety planning among women experiencing IPV in the GTA. This study may serve as a model for future IPV intervention evaluations, demonstrating robust evaluation data and participant safety. Clinical Trial: N/A
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