Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Formative Research
Date Submitted: Sep 3, 2018
Open Peer Review Period: Sep 9, 2018 - Nov 4, 2018
Date Accepted: Dec 16, 2019
(closed for review but you can still tweet)
Description of the Development of a Crowdsourced, Peer-led Intervention for Safer Dating App Use
ABSTRACT
Background:
Smartphone-based dating applications (dating apps) are rapidly transforming the ways in which people seek potential sexual and romantic partners. Meanwhile, they could be exposed to risks of unsafe sexual behaviours, harassment, and infringement of personal privacy. Current research on and intervention for safer dating app use remains insufficient.
Objective:
To describe the development of an intervention for safer dating app usage using the Interventional Mapping (IM) framework combined with crowdsourcing and peer-led approaches.
Methods:
The IM protocol was implemented as a theory-informed framework to provide stepwise guidance for the intervention development. Crowdsourcing and peer-led approaches were thread through key stages of the development process. Focus group discussions of 25 young people were first held to assess the experiences and needs of dating app use, followed by a crowdsourcing contest (24 submissions) that solicited ideas for performance objectives for the intervention. These objectives were grouped to further identify practical strategies before a one-day intensive workshop with 12 peer mentors was held to brainstorm ideas for the production of creative intervention materials. The intervention programs were produced and tested in a pilot study. It effectiveness will be evaluated in a series of cluster randomized controlled trials in different populations.
Results:
The intervention program consists of a risk assessment tool, a scenario game, and four short videos. The risk assessment tool, comprised of 14 questions, will give the participant a score to infer on their level of risk of adverse events when using dating apps. The scenario game is a first-person simulation game where the players are presented with choices when faced with different scenarios. The short videos, each lasted 2-4 minutes with points of discussion, aim to address the risks and opportunities of using dating apps. The programs were piloted in 18 young people and found relatable and helpful.
Conclusions:
Potential challenges include data management and analysis, sustaining peer mentors’ interests and participation, and balancing between providing more information and perpetuating social stigma around dating app users. Intervention mapping offers an evidence- and theory-based framework for integrating contemporary thoughts such as crowdsourcing and the peer-led approach in developing an intervention for safer dating app use. This development process can provide a viable model for developing future intervention to address risks associated with internet and app use.
Citation
Per the author's request the PDF is not available.
Copyright
© The authors. All rights reserved. This is a privileged document currently under peer-review/community review (or an accepted/rejected manuscript). Authors have provided JMIR Publications with an exclusive license to publish this preprint on it's website for review and ahead-of-print citation purposes only. While the final peer-reviewed paper may be licensed under a cc-by license on publication, at this stage authors and publisher expressively prohibit redistribution of this draft paper other than for review purposes.