Youth intimate partner violence: Opportunities and challenges of online chat support
This project evaluates online chat support provided to young people with experiences of intimate partner violence through the support organisation ungarelationer.se. The aim is to increase knowledge of how online chat support services can address the needs of young people.
DOCTORAL PROJECT Violence in young people’s intimate relationships is a widespread public health issue, in Sweden and internationally. Nonetheless, few young people disclose their experiences, and there are significant knowledge gaps regarding how support services should be designed to address the needs of young people. To date, online chat support to young people is provided by around 70 organisations throughout Sweden. This support is free of charge, flexible, accessible and offers anonymity.
The project aims to increase the knowledge about the opportunities and challenges associated with online chat support for young people with experiences of intimate partner violence, and thereby to generate knowledge regarding how online chat services can address the needs of young people experiencing violence. This is carried out through the collection of chat logs and by data from interviews and surveys obtained from support seekers as well as support providers within the organisation ungarelationer.se.
The project is part of an external evaluation of ungarelationer.se, a support organisation for young people who have experienced violence or used violence against others in intimate relationships. The evaluation is funded by the Swedish Gender Equality Agency and will be in progress during the years 2025-2027.