IMPACT: Effects of an Online Capacity-Building Intervention for IPV Prevention Professionals

IMPACT, an online, interactive, capacity-building intervention for professionals engaged in direct intimate partner violence (IPV) work, was evaluated for preliminary efficacy. The IMPACT intervention comprised 13 training modules developed using the Rotheram-Borus Common Factors approach to prevention program development. In total, 156 participants from a diverse range of organizational settings across the United States completed baseline assessments and were randomized to the IMPACT intervention or to the control condition. Participants completed a follow-up assessment 3 months after baseline. Compared with control participants, IMPACT participants significantly increased their general IPV-related knowledge and their self-efficacy to utilize best practice IPV prevention strategies; effect sizes for these outcomes were moderate to large, indicating that these results are meaningful for IPV prevention practice. No differences by condition were observed in other outcomes such as scenario-based skills implementation or utilization of IPV-related strategies in participants' work. In addition, analyses showed that these findings were consistent across IPV prevention experience levels. Results suggest that IMPACT is flexible, generalizable, scalable, and a promising tool for disseminating IPV research into practice and helping to prevent IPV.