Facilitation of online women’s arts groups for domestic abuse survivors: A qualitative interview study using the Behaviour Change Wheel

<p>Online arts based groups have become an increasingly important avenue of support for domestic abuse (DA) survivors, particularly when safety, accessibility or service pressures restrict in person participation. Yet arts professionals often facilitate these groups without formal guidance on how digital environments reshape creative, relational and safeguarding processes. This qualitative study explored barriers and enablers influencing online arts facilitation for DA survivors through interviews with arts professionals (n = 9) and survivors (n = 3). Data were analysed using inductive thematic analysis and mapped onto the Capability, Opportunity and Motivation Model of Behaviour (COM-B) and Behaviour Change Wheel (BCW) to examine the psychological, social and structural conditions shaping practice. Six themes highlighted challenges related to technological constraints, altered group dynamics, safeguarding and privacy concerns, challenges to emotional support provisions online, facilitator factors (i.e., confidence, identity and support needs), and structural constraints on group delivery. Use of the BCW supported the identification of practice relevant strategies (based on participant accounts) that may enhance safety and emotional support during online facilitation. These included trauma informed training, availability of a co facilitation and reflective supervision, alongside strengthened digital infrastructures. This study offers the first behaviourally informed examination of online arts facilitation in DA contexts, demonstrating that digital creative spaces constitute a distinct mode of therapeutic practice, requiring adapted facilitation skills, supportive organisational environments, and attention to structural inequalities. Future research should evaluate these strategies across diverse settings and consider how digital inclusion, cultural factors and service capacity influence access to safe and meaningful online arts engagement.</p>