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

Plain-language summary

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. The investigators 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. The investigators 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.

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