Development of the MyPlan Safety Decision App with Friends of College Women in Abusive Dating Relationships

Abstract

Dating violence (DV) from an intimate partner/expartner is common on college campuses, but young college women are far more likely to disclose DV to a peer than to seek formal services. Therefore, our team developed a prototype smartphone application (app) aimed at DV survivors’ peers. Through focus groups/interviews, 31 college students who self-identified as friends of DV survivors reviewed and provided feedback on the app's usefulness, understandability, appropriateness, and comprehensiveness. These findings support the acceptability and usefulness of an app to support peers of DV survivors on campus and thereby also strengthen the safety net for DV survivors.