Abstract
Background:
Coercive control is a complex and often misunderstood form of psychological abuse that involves patterns of intimidation, humiliation, isolation, and regulation of everyday activities. Despite its serious implications, awareness of coercive control remains low among young people, with research indicating that only 16% of 16-year-olds in Northern Ireland had heard of the term and understood its meaning (Lagdon et al., 2021). To address this gap, the present study explores the use of digital storytelling as an educational tool to improve young people’s understanding of coercive control and its manifestations in relationships.
Methods:
This study adopts a co-creation methodology, involving young people and subject matter experts in the development of digital stories that depict coercive control in intimate relationships. A series of workshops and engagement sessions will be conducted with stakeholders—including educators, mental health professionals, and young adults—to identify key themes, scenarios, and language that resonate with the target audience.
The digital stories will illustrate varying levels of coercive control, including overt, subtle, and youth-specific relationship dynamics. Digital storytelling has been selected as the core methodology due to its capacity to convey complex psychological concepts in an engaging and accessible format, particularly for individuals with literacy barriers. The project follows an iterative development cycle, wherein initial versions of the stories will undergo multiple rounds of feedback and refinement. Storyboarding, scripting, and multimedia production will be guided by trauma-informed principles, ensuring ethical representation of coercive control scenarios.
Expected Outcomes:
The project aims to develop and refine a set of digital narratives that effectively depict coercive control and can be integrated into broader educational and intervention programs. By co-designing these materials with young people, the study seeks to create relatable, culturally appropriate, and developmentally relevant content that can improve engagement and comprehension. Additionally, the use of digital storytelling may serve as a scalable intervention for digital mental health initiatives, contributing to evidence-based prevention strategies for intimate partner violence.
Conclusion:
This study represents an innovative step toward leveraging digital media to enhance awareness and education on coercive control. By engaging young people in the co-creation process, we aim to produce a meaningful, user-centered intervention that can be incorporated into digital mental health resources, relationship education programs, and broader public health initiatives.
Coercive control is a complex and often misunderstood form of psychological abuse that involves patterns of intimidation, humiliation, isolation, and regulation of everyday activities. Despite its serious implications, awareness of coercive control remains low among young people, with research indicating that only 16% of 16-year-olds in Northern Ireland had heard of the term and understood its meaning (Lagdon et al., 2021). To address this gap, the present study explores the use of digital storytelling as an educational tool to improve young people’s understanding of coercive control and its manifestations in relationships.
Methods:
This study adopts a co-creation methodology, involving young people and subject matter experts in the development of digital stories that depict coercive control in intimate relationships. A series of workshops and engagement sessions will be conducted with stakeholders—including educators, mental health professionals, and young adults—to identify key themes, scenarios, and language that resonate with the target audience.
The digital stories will illustrate varying levels of coercive control, including overt, subtle, and youth-specific relationship dynamics. Digital storytelling has been selected as the core methodology due to its capacity to convey complex psychological concepts in an engaging and accessible format, particularly for individuals with literacy barriers. The project follows an iterative development cycle, wherein initial versions of the stories will undergo multiple rounds of feedback and refinement. Storyboarding, scripting, and multimedia production will be guided by trauma-informed principles, ensuring ethical representation of coercive control scenarios.
Expected Outcomes:
The project aims to develop and refine a set of digital narratives that effectively depict coercive control and can be integrated into broader educational and intervention programs. By co-designing these materials with young people, the study seeks to create relatable, culturally appropriate, and developmentally relevant content that can improve engagement and comprehension. Additionally, the use of digital storytelling may serve as a scalable intervention for digital mental health initiatives, contributing to evidence-based prevention strategies for intimate partner violence.
Conclusion:
This study represents an innovative step toward leveraging digital media to enhance awareness and education on coercive control. By engaging young people in the co-creation process, we aim to produce a meaningful, user-centered intervention that can be incorporated into digital mental health resources, relationship education programs, and broader public health initiatives.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publication status | Accepted/In press - 16 Mar 2025 |
| Event | Third International Digital Mental Health and Wellbeing Conference - Granada, Spain, Spain Duration: 21 May 2025 → 23 May 2025 https://granada-en.congresoseci.com/dmhw2025/index |
Conference
| Conference | Third International Digital Mental Health and Wellbeing Conference |
|---|---|
| Country/Territory | Spain |
| Period | 21/05/25 → 23/05/25 |
| Internet address |
Keywords
- coercive control
- mental health
- digital stories
- ux design
- ux research
