Internet-Based Intervention to Improve Mental Health Outcomes for Abused Women

描述（由申请人提供）：该申请提出了一项研究，以防止妇女接触亲密伴侣暴力（IPV），并减少与IPV密切相关的负面心理健康结果，包括抑郁症，创伤后应激障碍（PTSD），药物滥用和自杀。使用实验设计，跨学科团队将测试基于互联网的交互式安全决策援助的有效性，以减少受虐待妇女的决策冲突和增加寻求安全的行为，从而防止暴露于重复暴力和改善心理健康。据我们所知，目前还没有实验研究评估安全规划的有效性或使用安全决策辅助来解决妇女的这一重要健康优先事项。解决这种研究不足的问题很重要，因为妇女面临安全决策和为自己和家庭规划的风险很高。相对而言，很少有女性有机会评估自己的危险程度或系统地检查她们如何权衡考虑中的相互竞争的安全偏好（例如，拥有足够的资源，如住房、就业和儿童保育，以及保护子女的安全）。决定结束虐待关系的妇女在疏远后遭受虐待性前伴侣致命暴力的风险增加。由于离开或留在虐待关系中的危险，妇女必须了解自己的危险程度，并在采取行动之前充分探索影响其决定的复杂安全偏好。这种基于互联网的交互式安全决策援助将为妇女提供急需的机会，为自己和家人的安全优先考虑和计划。在未来，这种基于互联网的安全决策援助应该提供一个具有成本效益的，基于证据的安全规划工具，由多个学科转化为实践，包括精神卫生保健专业人员和与IPV受害者一起工作的倡导者。 公共卫生相关性：叙述本研究将建立必要的证据，以推进暴力预防和心理健康服务计划和政策，以支持家庭暴力的受害者及其家庭。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The application proposes a study to prevent women's exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV) and reduce the negative mental health outcomes strongly associated with IPV, including depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance abuse and suicidality. Using an experimental design, the interdisciplinary team will test the effectiveness of an interactive internet based safety decision aid on reducing abused women's decisional conflict and increasing safety-seeking behaviors, thus preventing exposure to repeat violence and improving mental health. To our knowledge, there have been no experimental studies that have evaluated safety planning effectiveness or use of a safety decision aid to address this significant health priority for women. Addressing this paucity of research is important because the stakes are high for women faced with safety decisions and planning for themselves and families. Relatively few women have the opportunity to assess their own danger level or systematically examine how they weigh the competing safety preferences under consideration (e.g., having adequate resources, such as housing, employment and childcare as well as keeping her children safe). Women who decide to end an abusive relationship are at increased risk of lethal violence by the abusive ex-partner following the estrangement. Because of the danger of leaving or staying in an abusive relationship, it is critical that women gain understanding of their own danger level and fully explore the complex safety preferences that influence their decision before taking action. This interactive internet-based safety decision aid will give women a much-needed opportunity to prioritize and plan for safety for themselves and their families. In the future, this internet-based safety decision aid should provide a cost-effective, evidence-based safety- planning tool to be translated into practice by multiple disciplines, including mental health care professionals and advocates who work with victims of IPV. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Narrative This study will build the evidence necessary to advance violence prevention and mental health service programs and policies to support victims of domestic violence and their families.