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.