Safety Strategies for Women Experiencing Intimate Partner Violence During the COVID-19 Pandemic: a Scoping Review Protocol

Abstract

\n IntroductionThe health and social impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic evident internationally are mirrored in New Zealand.1With reports of escalating Intimate Partner Violence (IPV), there is a need for services supporting women and families to adapt to the changing COVID-19 environment. An interactive, individualised web-based safety-decision aid called isafe is being redeveloped to reflect these changes across Aotearoa New Zealand. Due to the social distancing requirements and fluidity of COVID-19 alert levels, safety strategies supporting women experiencing IPV need to align with the latest evidence within the context of COVID-19. This scoping review is designed to identify the range of extant safety strategies for women experiencing IPV suggested as effective during the COVID-19 pandemic.Methodology and method We will follow the scoping review methodology framework proposed by Johanna Briggs Institute (JBI),2 originally developed by Arksey and O’Malley3 and further refined by Levac4. The search strategy includes all study designs, and editorials and grey literature. Two reviewers will screen each article title and abstract against inclusion and exclusion criteria before independently screening the full text of eligible articles. Grey literature will be searched using existing websites and organisations that provide links to resources focussed on family violence (Table 1). Culturally informed strategies supporting Māori women and their whānau (family) will be specifically identified within the full text screening process. Data will be analysed using qualitative narrative synthesis to consider the strategies and their application to the New Zealand context. This will inform the development of isafe to support women experiencing violence during COVID-19 and beyond.Ethics and disseminationEthical approval was not required for this study. Results will be used to inform a future study in which key stakeholder groups will evaluate the usability of isafe in preparation for deployment. Findings of this review will be published in journals and validated with stakeholders connected with the isafe project.