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COMMUNITY CASE STUDY article

Front. Public Health
Sec. Public Mental Health
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1458510

Community Case Study: Our Wave, an Online Platform to Facilitate Survivor Disclosure of Sexual Assault and Trauma Recovery

Provisionally accepted
Laura Sinko Laura Sinko 1,2*Olga V Naidenko Olga V Naidenko 2Brendan Michaelsen Brendan Michaelsen 2Cassandra Marzke Cassandra Marzke 2Madeline Hart Madeline Hart 2Brooke Tweedie Brooke Tweedie 1,2Kyle Linton Kyle Linton 2
  • 1 Temple University, Philadelphia, United States
  • 2 Our Wave, Raleigh, NC, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    This community case study introduces Our Wave, an online platform that provides a safe, anonymous space for survivors of sexual harm to share their stories, reflect on their healing journeys, and connect with others. Designed to empower survivors, the platform allows users to post anonymous stories or visual media, ask questions, and send messages of hope, all while prioritizing privacy and security. It also aims to create a broader impact by analyzing shared narratives to detect patterns, identify best practices for healing, and inform global approaches to SV recovery. With over 100,000 members and over 1,200 stories and forms of media shared, the platform has become a valuable resource for survivors. Using mixed-methods analysis of platform usage data and anonymous user feedback surveys (n=288), we examined patterns of engagement and impact. Analysis revealed that 57% of story submissions included "Messages of Healing" and 52% included "Messages of Hope," with survey responses indicating that anonymity and peer support were crucial factors in facilitating disclosure. Research shows that the social and emotional dynamics of SV disclosure, as well as the responses from others, play a crucial role in a survivor's healing. By focusing on confidentiality, trauma-informed support, and community-building, Our Wave offers a safe space for survivors to heal, connect, and access resources to support their journey toward recovery.

    Keywords: Sexual Assault Disclosure, SV, Sexual harm, online community, Trauma recovery, healing Community Case Study: Our Wave, an Online Platform to Facilitate Survivor Disclosure of Sexual Assault and Trauma Recovery

    Received: 02 Jul 2024; Accepted: 02 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Sinko, Naidenko, Michaelsen, Marzke, Hart, Tweedie and Linton. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Laura Sinko, Temple University, Philadelphia, United States

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.