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Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a global concern. Interventions designed to prevent IPV are often participatory in nature, implemented in face-to-face settings and seek to create 'safe social spaces'. We however do not fully understand how safe social spaces can be created in online spaces. Our study sought to understand the possibility of creating safe social spaces online, supportive of participatory interventions, from the perspective of those developing and implementing IPV prevention interventions. We conducted in-depth interviews with a global sample of 20 researchers and practitioners. Interviews were transcribed and analysed using thematic network analysis. We found mixed results about the possibility of creating safe social spaces online. Researchers and practitioners raised issues such as sharing of devices, the difficulties in developing trust and a sense of community online, challenges in having privacy and confidentiality online and difficulty in reading non-verbal cues as some of the key considerations when creating online safe social spaces. Younger researchers and practitioners were more optimistic about creating safe social spaces online. Our results show that the creation of safe social spaces online is complex and requires further investigation.

Gender inequity, including low sexual relationship power (SRP), is an important determinant of intimate partner violence (IPV) and negative sexual, reproductive, and mental health. Different versions of the Sexual Relationship Power Scale (SRPS) are commonly used within youth studies to examine how gender inequities, including controlling behaviors, in heterosexual relationships impact the lives of young people in sub-Saharan Africa. This review aims to (1) describe definitions and measures of SRP within sub-Saharan African youth studies and (2) review and summarize associations between SRP equity, IPV, and sexual, reproductive, and mental health. After searching Pubmed, Ovid Med, Psych info, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and relevant research forums, 304 papers were identified, of which 29 papers based on 15 distinct studies (published 2004–2019) met our criteria for being youth-specific, conducted in sub-Saharan Africa, and including a quantitative measure of SRP. Details of each SRPS are described, including any adaptations and psychometric properties, as well as associations with IPV, sexual, reproductive, and mental health behaviors and outcomes. Results indicate that there are variations to the SRPS, and a paucity of evidence has detailed the psychometric properties of such measures within sub-Saharan African youth studies. Measures of SRP equity are associated with experiences (among women) and perpetration of (among men) IPV as numerous pathways to HIV risk; however, the evidence remains mixed. In order to address overlapping epidemics of violence against women and HIV, efforts are needed to ensure that measures, including the SRPS, are valid and reliable among highly affected populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spatio-temporal dynamics of the trophic state of a lake are crucial in defining its water quality, as well as biodiversity. Accordingly, this study focused on the spatio-temporal variations of the trophic state, and the possible causes of the heterogeneous turbidity in Lake Naivasha, Kenya. The trophic state of the lake oscillated between a eutrophic and hypereutrophic condition, being found to be more eutrophic than reported in previous studies, indicating a progressive deterioration of its water quality. Inferences from the graphical representation of the deviations of total phosphorus and Secchi depth from the chlorophyll- a trophic state indices revealed that the lake is predominantly phosphorus limited. Furthermore, the turbidity in the northern part of the lake is dominated by suspended sediment and dissolved coloured material. Discriminant analysis resulted in identification of three distinct trophic state regions in Lake Naivasha, namely the northern region, the mid and southern part and the more or less isolated Crescent Lake. The results of this study provide a good basis for further investigation of the current loading magnitude of both nutrients and sediments, in order to facilitate sustainable management to ensure community integrity and ecosystem functions of the lake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]