Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a serious public health problem affecting the health and well-being of millions of individuals around the globe, with high rates among college-age youth. IPV is defined by the Centers for Disease Control as physical, sexual, psychological aggressions, or stalking committed by a current or former partner. It includes a pattern of actions used to maintain power and control over another individual. The Power and Control Wheel was developed in 1984 by the Domestic Abuse Intervention Project (DAIP). It has served as a resource for advocacy organizations, counselors, and the development of primary prevention programs internationally for decades. Although, the Power and Control Wheel has been used extensively in practice since 1984, it does not have a sound evidence base.
Building on the team’s expertise in research, advocacy, and direct survivor care, this study will utilize an exploratory sequential mixed methods design to create an evidence-based College Power and Control Wheel (CPCW). The study will use translational research principles to engage diverse stakeholders (advocates, sexual assault center staff, students, and survivors) at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Flint, and Dearborn to shape the content of the CPCW and then pilot test it. The following aims will be addressed:
Aim 1: To systematically adapt the Power and Control Wheel to the college setting using qualitative data and an iterative process to update it to the current technological landscape and to make it more inclusive (in regards to age, race, gender and sexual identity).
Aim 1.1: Gather preliminary data to conduct a cost analysis associated with adapting the Power and Control Wheel to inform future iterations and scalability.
Aim 2: To understand the prevalence of power and control tactic use from both victim and perpetrator perspectives in diverse college settings in order to better inform IPV prevention and intervention efforts.
Aim 2.1: To evaluate the correlation between power and control tactics and the prevalence of sexual, physical, and psychological IPV.
This will be an important first step in establishing an evidence-based version of the CPCW which has the potential to inform future programming, survivor care, and prevention efforts to address IPV on campus at the University of Michigan and beyond. This study will also extend the Power and Control Wheel to reflect the current tactics (e.g., digital technology, social media) utilized by perpetrators within the college setting among a diverse student population in regards to age, race, gender and sexual identity.