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NCT Number: NCT07405528

Camouflaged WeChat-based Intervention for Abused Women

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a major public health issue and human rights threat worldwide, especially for Chinese immigrant women victims in Hong Kong. Interventions that address negative physical and emotional outcomes from IPV could therefore play a crucial role in enhancing empowerment, social support, and healthy lifestyle among these women. The overall objective of this pilot mixed methods study is to determine the feasibility and acceptability of a camouflaged WeChat mini-program-based WOMEN Health intervention for women victims of IPV. This study will evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a camouflaged WeChat mini-program-based WOMEN Health intervention for women victims of IPV.

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Key information

Conditions

Domestic Violence Mental Health Wellness 1

Age range

18 year–45 year

Sex eligibility

Female

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

About this study

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a major public health issue and human rights threat worldwide, especially for Chinese immigrant women victims in Hong Kong. Interventions that address negative physical and emotional outcomes from IPV could therefore play a crucial role in enhancing empowerment, social support, and healthy lifestyle among these women. Previous studies in Hong Kong and the United States provided evidence on IPV interventions among Chinese abused women; however, there is a scarcity of evidence on the use of mHealth for abused women while fully considering their safety studies on mobile technology for Chinese immigrant women victims are limited, and there lacks safe, low-cost, and evidence-based mHealth interventions for empowering and supporting women victims who immigrate to Hong Kong and face more vulnerabilities and needs. This study will evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a camouflaged WeChat mini-program-based WOMEN Health intervention for women victims of IPV.

This pilot mixed methods study will adopt the randomized, wait-list controlled trial with two groups (1:1 ratio), followed by in-depth interviews with participants in the WOMEN Health programme group at post-intervention. It will evaluate feasibility and acceptability as the primary outcomes and compare scores changes after 12 weeks interventions between Chinese immigrant women who are screened positive for IPV randomly assigned to receiving genuine IPV intervention and disguised healthy lifestyle intervention, and Chinese immigrant women who are screened positive for IPV in a control procedure. The wait-list control group will also receive the WOMEN Health programme after the intervention group completed the programme.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Chinese-speaking (Mandarin or Cantonese)
  • women aged 18 to 45 years
  • originally from mainland China and have moved to Hong Kong for at least one year
  • screened positive for IPV during heterosexual relationships in the past year
  • have a smartphone with WeChat installed
  • with no plans to move outside Hong Kong in the next one year

Exclusion criteria

  • unwilling to provide informed consent
  • severe chronic diseases (e.g., cancer, heart failure, kidney failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and HIV/AIDS)
  • currently experience severe IPV (identified using the revised 11-item Danger Assessment)

Treatment and study plan

WOMEN Health programme

Behavioral

(i) Empowerment (IPV information, ie, 30-min one-to-one interview, WeChat mini-program); (ii) Telephone social support (ie, weekly calls); (ⅲ) Healthy lifestyle intervention (ie, healthy lifestyle information and discussion)

Wait-List Control Group

Behavioral

(i) Healthy lifestyle intervention (ie, discussion and weekly calls for body weight)

Primary outcomes

  1. Feasibility and acceptability of the WOMEN Health programme

    Time frame: Week 12

    Feasibility and acceptability will be assessed using a 12-item self-developed questionnaire. Items are rated on a 5-point Likert scale (1-5), with higher scores indicating greater acceptability, satisfaction, and usefulness.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Changes in depressive symptoms

    Time frame: Baseline and Week 12

    Depressive symptoms will be assessed using the Chinese version of the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), a 21-item self-report questionnaire measuring depressive symptoms experienced over the past two weeks. Total scores range from 0 to 63, with higher scores indicating more severe depressive symptoms.

  2. Changes in quality of life

    Time frame: Baseline and Week 12

    Quality of life will be assessed using the Chinese version of the 12-Item Short Form Health Survey, version 2 (SF-12v2), which measures physical and mental health status. Physical Component Summary (PCS) and Mental Component Summary (MCS) scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating better quality of life.

  3. Changes in intimate partner violence (IPV)

    Time frame: Baseline and Week 12

    Intimate partner violence will be assessed using the Chinese version of the Revised Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS2), which measures the frequency and severity of psychological aggression, physical assault, sexual coercion, and injury within intimate relationships. Higher scores indicate greater exposure to intimate partner violence.

  4. Changes in Body Mass Index (BMI)

    Time frame: Baseline and up to 12 weeks

    Body weight will be self-measured by participants at home in the morning under fasting conditions, wearing light clothing and without shoes. Height will be measured at baseline using a wall-mounted stadiometer. BMI will be calculated as body weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared (kg/m²) and categorized according to the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations for Asian populations.

  5. Changes in healthy behaviors

    Time frame: Baseline and Week 12

    Healthy lifestyle behaviors, including physical activity and dietary behaviors, will be documented by self-report data

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Quanlei Li

CONTACT

[email protected]

+852 39177577

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

The University of Hong Kong

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Camouflaged WeChat Mini-program-based Intervention for Women Victims of Intimate Partner Violence: Protocol for a Pilot Mixed Methods Study

Acronym: IPV

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2027
First posted
Feb 12, 2026
Registry last updated
Feb 12, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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