IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v20y2023i7p5246-d1105689.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Smartphone Apps for Domestic Violence Prevention: A Systematic Review

Author

Listed:
  • Mehreen Sumra

    (Department of Computer Science, COMSATS University Islamabad, Islamabad 45550, Pakistan)

  • Sohail Asghar

    (Department of Computer Science, COMSATS University Islamabad, Islamabad 45550, Pakistan)

  • Khalid S. Khan

    (Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain)

  • Juan M. Fernández-Luna

    (Department of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain)

  • Juan F. Huete

    (Department of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain)

  • Aurora Bueno-Cavanillas

    (Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain)

Abstract

Smartphone applications or apps are increasingly being produced to help with protection against the risk of domestic violence. There is a need to formally evaluate their features. Objective: This study systematically reviewed app-based interventions for domestic violence prevention, which will be helpful for app developers. Methods: We overviewed all apps concerning domestic violence awareness and prevention without language restrictions, collating information about features and limitations. We conducted searches in Google, the Google Play Store, and the App Store (iOS) covering a 10-year time period (2012–2022). We collected data related to the apps from the developers’ descriptions, peer reviewed research articles, critical reviews in blogs, news articles, and other online sources. Results: The search identified 621 potentially relevant apps of which 136 were selected for review. There were five app categories: emergency assistance ( n = 61, 44.9%), avoidance ( n = 29, 21.3%), informative ( n = 29, 21.3%), legal information ( n = 10, 7.4%), and self-assessment ( n = 7, 5.1%). Over half the apps ( n = 97, 71%) were released in 2020–22. Around a half were from north-east America ( n = 63, 46.3%). Where emergency alerts existed, they required triggering by the potential victim. There was no automation. Content analysis showed 20 apps with unique features, including geo-fences, accelerometer-based alert, shake-based alert, functionality under low resources, alert auto-cancellation, anonymous communication, and data encryption. None of the apps deployed artificial intelligence to assist the potential victims. Conclusions: Apps currently have many limitations. Future apps should focus on automation, making better use of artificial intelligence deploying multimedia (voice, video, image capture, text and sentiment analysis), speech recognition, and pitch detection to aid in live analysis of the situation and for accurately generating emergency alerts.

Suggested Citation

  • Mehreen Sumra & Sohail Asghar & Khalid S. Khan & Juan M. Fernández-Luna & Juan F. Huete & Aurora Bueno-Cavanillas, 2023. "Smartphone Apps for Domestic Violence Prevention: A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(7), pages 1-15, March.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:20:y:2023:i:7:p:5246-:d:1105689
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/7/5246/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/7/5246/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Rosario M. Román-Gálvez & Sandra Martín-Peláez & Juan Miguel Martínez-Galiano & Khalid Saeed Khan & Aurora Bueno-Cavanillas, 2021. "Prevalence of Intimate Partner Violence in Pregnancy: An Umbrella Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(2), pages 1-13, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Xiao Yan Chen & Camilla K. M. Lo & Frederick K. Ho & Wing Cheong Leung & Patrick Ip & Ko Ling Chan, 2022. "Changing Patterns of Intimate Partner Violence against Pregnant Women: A Three-Year Longitudinal Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(21), pages 1-12, November.
    2. Juan Miguel Martínez-Galiano & Miguel Delgado-Rodríguez, 2021. "The Relegated Goal of Health Institutions: Sexual and Reproductive Health," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-4, February.
    3. Marianna Mazza & Emanuele Caroppo & Giuseppe Marano & Daniela Chieffo & Lorenzo Moccia & Delfina Janiri & Lucio Rinaldi & Luigi Janiri & Gabriele Sani, 2021. "Caring for Mothers: A Narrative Review on Interpersonal Violence and Peripartum Mental Health," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(10), pages 1-13, May.
    4. Gabriela R. Perez & Sara M. Stasik-O’Brien & Lauren M. Laifer & Rebecca L. Brock, 2022. "Psychological and Physical Intimate Partner Aggression Are Associated with Broad and Specific Internalizing Symptoms during Pregnancy," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(3), pages 1-14, January.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:20:y:2023:i:7:p:5246-:d:1105689. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.