Development of a Safety Awareness Group Intervention for Women With Diverse Disabilities: A Pilot Study

Objective: Describe the development and preliminary evaluation of a safety awareness program for women with disabilities. Design: Baseline and postintervention questionnaires administered to a sample of women who completed a safety awareness program. Participants: Seven women with diverse disabilities. Intervention: Eight interactive sessions designed to increase protective factors. Setting: Community site for persons with disabilities. Main Outcomes: Safety self-efficacy, safety skills, social support/isolation, and safety promoting behaviors. Results: Significant increases from baseline to postintervention were found on measures of self-efficacy and safety skills. Although not statistically significant, improvements were also found in safety promoting behavior. Conclusion: Despite the small sample, findings suggest that participation in a safety awareness program may improve protective factors.