Level of Satisfaction and Helpfulness
SAID
Within the survey group, participants in the intervention study arm graded the intervention significantly higher than those in the control study arm (mean 7.82, SD 1.859 and mean 6.07, SD 0.951, respectively; If I’d had SAFE when I was still in that violent relationship it would’ve helped me tremendously.The ways in which the intervention was helpful were discussed in the interview group. Most women felt that SAFE was helpful in promoting awareness, self-reflection, acknowledgment, and processing and in providing support. Many said that it helped them realize that they were not alone in experiencing IPVA, especially because of the stories and short videos from survivors. Although not all interviewees felt that the intervention influenced their mental health, for example, in reducing stress, it did seem to help them be motivated to take action and feel empowered. The questionnaires, which were technically a research component instead of an intervention component, turned out to be helpful as well. A few interview participants said that they provided them with useful new insights:Well I do think that it [SAFE] brought some peace just because you’re listened to. It also played a role in help seeking, I learned to acknowledge that it’s okay to accept help. I think that started with SAFE because you open up via the website first and then you can do the same with professional help. It’s hard to talk about what happened but I think SAFE did help with this.I did regularly look if there was something I could use, just to deal with it in a constructive manner. So not just feeling those negative emotions but to also work on a solution. So indirectly you do provide a sort of light at the end of the tunnel...It helps when there’s a place where you...yeah, fellow survivors or where you can share your story...even if it’s just looking for information it can help to lower stress.Regarding SAFE’s role in help seeking, some interviewees stated that they did not need help from other resources at that time or that professional help was already involved. Others did not feel that the intervention immediately helped them in contacting professional help, but some said that it did help in navigating the professional help realm and how to deal with professionals and in providing ideas that they could discuss with professionals:...it’s really that low-threshold approach. To just be able to pour your heart out and to see if I can create a road map for myself to get out of this, that’s really great. Yeah, very important.The intervention seemed to play a role in breaking the taboo around IPVA and making it a topic of discussion as well according to many interview participants. One woman said that SAFE encouraged her to talk about her situation with people in her community. Many interviewees wanted to share their experiences with other survivors. The help options, including options for contact with fellow survivors, and the contact options (forum and [themed] chat) partially provided a solution for this need:...I started talking about it with people in my environment and they said they didn’t know it was this bad already...Many people didn’t believe me and my ex-partner comes from a closed community. So you didn’t talk about this with people outside the community...But now I think “suit yourself”...and I noticed that I found something that gave me a push and helped me to start talking about it.Furthermore, interviewees appreciated the layout, although one woman suggested a calmer design, and the option to tailor the intervention to their own needs as there was no prescribed order for using the intervention.