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Research article
Women’s Experiences of Safety Apps for Sexualized Violence: A Narrative Scoping Review
Nicole Doria
Dalhousie University
Corresponding Author
ORCiD: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4786-997X
License:
This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License. Read Full License
Background
Sexualized violence against women is a significant human rights problem worldwide. Safety apps have the capacity to provide women with resources to prevent or respond to experiences of sexualized violence. The aim of the following study was to review the scope of the literature on women’s experiences of safety apps related to sexualized violence and identify if there is a current gap in this literature.
Methods
This scoping review employed a systematic methodology guided by the Arksey and O’Malley framework. The search for this scoping review was conducted in January 2020 and four electronic databases were searched: Embase, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and Scopus. Reference lists of systematic reviews, scoping reviews, and literature reviews that were found through the search of databases were also checked to ensure all relevant studies had been screened. Last, the table of contents for the last five years (2015–2020) were hand searched in four key journals (Journal of Technology in Human Services, Violence Against Women, BMC Public Health, and Health Promotion International) to identify any articles that may have been missed in the database search. Covidence was used to complete the screening. All data that met inclusion criteria was charted, extracted and synthesized.
Results
Across the four databases searched, a total of 389 studies were identified; 127 duplicates were removed, resulting in 262 studies screened. In total, 6 studies were included from the search of databases and 1 study was included from hand-searching, for a total of 7 included studies. Thematic analysis identified the following themes in the literature, which are summarized narratively: (1) security; (2) accessibility; and (3) knowledge. Recommendations and barriers found in relation to each theme are also presented.
Conclusions
This review confirms that the qualitative literature on women’s experiences of sexualized violence safety apps is scarce and exposes that a gap in the literature on this topic. The gaps in the literature were identified and implications and recommendations for future research are discussed.
Keywords
Sexualized Violence, Safety Apps, Women’s Health, Health Promotion, Global Health, Narrative Scoping Review, Qualitative Research
Figure 1
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CURRENT STATUS: Under Review
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Reviewer #3 agreed
On 19 Jan, 2021
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Received 12 Jan, 2021
Review #1 received
Received 09 Jan, 2021
Reviewer #2 agreed
On 15 Dec, 2020
Reviewer #1 agreed
On 15 Dec, 2020
Reviewers invited
Invitations sent on 11 Jun, 2020
Editor assigned
On 21 May, 2020
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On 20 May, 2020
Editor invited
On 20 May, 2020
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This preprint is under consideration at BMC Public Health. A preprint is a preliminary version of a manuscript that has not completed peer review at a journal. Research Square does not conduct peer review prior to posting preprints. The posting of a preprint on this server should not be interpreted as an endorsement of its validity or suitability for dissemination as established information or for guiding clinical practice.
Learn more about In Review
Research article
Women’s Experiences of Safety Apps for Sexualized Violence: A Narrative Scoping Review
Nicole Doria
Dalhousie University
Corresponding Author
ORCiD: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4786-997X
Badges
Prescreen
This manuscript passed our Prescreen assessment
Complete author information
Appropriate declaration statements
Potential risks to human health
Prescreen
Peer Review Timeline
CURRENT STATUS: Under Review
Version 1
Posted 02 Jun, 2020
No community comments so far
Reviewer #3 agreed
On 19 Jan, 2021
Review #2 received
Received 12 Jan, 2021
Review #1 received
Received 09 Jan, 2021
Reviewer #2 agreed
On 15 Dec, 2020
Reviewer #1 agreed
On 15 Dec, 2020
Reviewers invited
Invitations sent on 11 Jun, 2020
Editor assigned
On 21 May, 2020
Submission checks complete
On 20 May, 2020
Editor invited
On 20 May, 2020
First submitted
On 19 May, 2020
Metrics
Comments: 0
PDF Downloads: ...
HTML Views: ...
License:
This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License. Read Full License
Background
Sexualized violence against women is a significant human rights problem worldwide. Safety apps have the capacity to provide women with resources to prevent or respond to experiences of sexualized violence. The aim of the following study was to review the scope of the literature on women’s experiences of safety apps related to sexualized violence and identify if there is a current gap in this literature.
Methods
This scoping review employed a systematic methodology guided by the Arksey and O’Malley framework. The search for this scoping review was conducted in January 2020 and four electronic databases were searched: Embase, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and Scopus. Reference lists of systematic reviews, scoping reviews, and literature reviews that were found through the search of databases were also checked to ensure all relevant studies had been screened. Last, the table of contents for the last five years (2015–2020) were hand searched in four key journals (Journal of Technology in Human Services, Violence Against Women, BMC Public Health, and Health Promotion International) to identify any articles that may have been missed in the database search. Covidence was used to complete the screening. All data that met inclusion criteria was charted, extracted and synthesized.
Results
Across the four databases searched, a total of 389 studies were identified; 127 duplicates were removed, resulting in 262 studies screened. In total, 6 studies were included from the search of databases and 1 study was included from hand-searching, for a total of 7 included studies. Thematic analysis identified the following themes in the literature, which are summarized narratively: (1) security; (2) accessibility; and (3) knowledge. Recommendations and barriers found in relation to each theme are also presented.
Conclusions
This review confirms that the qualitative literature on women’s experiences of sexualized violence safety apps is scarce and exposes that a gap in the literature on this topic. The gaps in the literature were identified and implications and recommendations for future research are discussed.
Figure 1