Cultural Adaptation of a Web-Based App (myPlan Thailand) to Empower and Support Friends and Family of Intimate Partner Violence Survivors (IPV)

Boromarajonani College of Nursing, Khon Kaen

Status and phase: Active, not recruiting; Phase 2

Conditions: Effectiveness; Social Support; Intimate Partner Violence (IPV); mHealth; Empowerment

Treatments: Behavioral: WeSafe (myPlan Thailand: Friends and Family); Behavioral: DV learning

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; NIH

Identifiers

NCT06934174

BoromarajonaniCNKK

5K43TW012296 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Details and patient eligibility

About

This research will support and empower friends/family (F/F) of intimate partner violence (IPV) survivors in Thailand, where IPV is critical and common, and survivors first and foremost seek help for abuse from their F/F. myPlan app (www.myPlanapp.org) is a free mobile evidence-based intervention app to prevent IPV. The app was first developed in the United States (US) and has been disseminated to high-income countries (e.g., New Zealand, Canada, Australia) and lowincome (Kenya). One new hope for improving survivors' psychological and well-being is adapting and introducing the myPlan app for the concerned friends/family who support survivors in Thailand. Therefore, the propose of this longitudinal research study, Cultural Adaptation of a Web-Based App (myPlan Thailand) to Empower and Support Friends/Family of Intimate Partner Violence Survivors in Thailand, will have two consecutive phases with three aims: 1) To tailor the myPlan app content for concerned F/F members of Thai IPV survivors, 2) To integrate the adapted myPlan app content for concerned F/F members of Thai IPV survivors, 3) To test the feasibility and acceptability of the adapted myPlan app with concerned F/F members of Thai IPV survivors. Phase 1 (Year 1-2) will achieve aim 1-2 to tailor the myPlan app with Thai survivors and friends/family. We will review current content and conduct in-depth interviews with survivors and concerned F/F members on social norms associated with IPV, informal support systems and the role/responsibility in helping survivors, safety strategies used by concerned F/F members and negative consequences for both survivor and F/F member providing support. Moreover, in phase 1, the adapted content will be pilot tested with concerned F/F members of survivors by using cognitive techniques and theater-testing methodology.

Phase 2 (Year 3-4) will achieve aim 3 to test the feasibility and acceptability of the adapted myPlan app with F/F. We will conduct a two-group RCT design with concerned F/F member randomized to receive a) the myPlan app for F/F member, or b) standard usual-care safety planning information. Primary outcomes for F/F members include change in knowledge and attitudes towards IPV and F/F empowerment to plan and take safety support survivor. Secondary outcomes will examine change in F/F' distress, frustration and consequences for supporting the survivor. This phase will also collect feasibility and acceptability data to informed a planned R01 submission in Year 3 of the study. The K43 application outlines a four-year plan to support a candidate who is a nursing instructor with 15 years of work in diverse projects, settings, and disciplines; which positions her for a successful career as an independent researcher in research field of intimate partner violence. The career development plan provides a sequence of carefully selected training and mentoring experiences, including coursework to increase research capacity, leadership skills, mentored research leading to a R01 proposal, peer reviewed publications, and professional networking, that will catapult this research to the next level of research achievement. The team will be a collaboration between the Boromarajonani College of Nursing Khon Kaen (BCNKK), Khon Kaen One Stop Crisis Center (OSCC), Johns Hopkins University (JHU), Notre Dame of Maryland University (NDM), and Auckland University of Technology (AUT), New Zealand.

Enrollment: 100 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 60 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• 1. being female or males who have a female friend currently (past 6 months) experiencing IPV; 2) Thai speaking/reading; 3) ≥age 18; 4) Have access to a safe smart-phone or computer with internet; 5) Have safe email address; and 6) living in Thailand.

Exclusion criteria

• 1. cannot speak/reading Thai; 2) less than age 18; 3) cannot access to a safe smartphone or computer with internet; and 4) not living in Thailand.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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100 participants in 2 patient groups

WeSafe (myPlan Thailand: Friends and Family)

Experimental group

Description:

WeSafe, a Web-Based App (myPlan Thailand) is a culturally tailored web-based app designed to empower and support friends and family of IPV survivors. It gathers key data on survivors' demographics, relationship status, living situation, and children's ages to personalize the safety support plan. The app delivers comprehensive IPV information through text, videos, images, and illustrations, addressing culturally specific issues. It guides users in setting priorities through pairwise comparisons and includes a risk assessment tool adapted from Danger Assessment (DA)-Thailand. Based on the inputs, myPlan Thailand provides a tailored plan with supportive strategies, communication scripts, advocacy tips, self-care resources, and child safety strategies, enhancing overall safety and well-being.

Treatment:

Behavioral: DV learning

Behavioral: WeSafe (myPlan Thailand: Friends and Family)

DV learning

Active Comparator group

Description:

Control group. The control condition will be the publicly-available Thai-language DV learning launched in 2019.49 This app screens users for Domestic violence (physical, psychological, and sexual violence), and provides information about 6 modules include 1. Understanding situation of domestic violence 2. Key principles of helping survivors 3. Guideline for helping survivors 4. Case management and working with multi professionals 5. Legal Proceedings and Justice System Processes for Domestic Violence and Intimate Partner Violence Cases 6. Selfcare for providers. This platform put the knowledge from understanding the basic situation through practical intervention for providers and other people who are interested in. It is optional to get the certificate if participants have 80% pass rate on quizzes.

Treatment:

Behavioral: DV learning

Behavioral: WeSafe (myPlan Thailand: Friends and Family)