Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) constitutes a major public health and human rights issue worldwide, with well-documented psychological consequences including posttraumatic stress, depression, and impaired interpersonal functioning. Despite increasing awareness of IPV in Greece, empirically evaluated psychosocial interventions for women survivors—particularly accessible online group programs—remain limited. Empowerment-oriented, trauma-informed interventions have been suggested as promising approaches for supporting survivors’ recovery, enhancing self-efficacy, and fostering posttraumatic growth. Methods: The present pilot study evaluated the preliminary effectiveness of A New Beginning – Learning to Care for Myself, a structured online psychoeducational group intervention developed by W.I.N. Hellas for women survivors of IPV. The program was delivered through 15 weekly sessions and was grounded in cognitive-behavioral, systemic, and trauma-informed principles aimed at increasing awareness of abusive dynamics, reducing self-blame, strengthening emotional regulation, and promoting empowerment. Twenty-one women survivors of domestic violence (aged 19–58 years; M = 41.81, SD = 9.84) participated in the study. Participants completed measures assessing posttraumatic stress symptoms (PCL-C), help-seeking attitudes and minimization of abuse (MHSS), and posttraumatic growth (PTGI-SF) before and after the intervention. Given the small sample size and non-normal distributions, nonparametric analyses were conducted, including chi-square tests and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. Results: The proportion of participants meeting the clinical cutoff for probable PTSD decreased from 28.6% pre-intervention to 14.3% post-intervention, although this change was not statistically significant. No significant differences were observed in most help-seeking attitudes. In contrast, significant improvements were observed in key domains of posttraumatic growth. Participants reported a significant increase in perceived personal strength (z = –2.71, p = .007) and relational intimacy with others (z = –2.31, p = .021). Trends toward improvement were also observed in appreciation of life and perceived ability to face difficulties. These findings suggest that participation in the intervention was associated with meaningful gains in psychological empowerment and relational functioning. Conclusions: Although reductions in PTSD symptoms and changes in help-seeking attitudes were limited, the intervention demonstrated promising effects in enhancing posttraumatic growth among women survivors of IPV. The observed increases in personal strength and relational intimacy highlight the potential value of empowerment-focused psychoeducational group programs delivered in online formats. Given the exploratory nature of the study and its methodological limitations—including small sample size and absence of a control group—future research should employ larger samples, controlled designs, and longitudinal follow-ups to further examine the effectiveness and sustainability of such interventions. Nevertheless, the findings provide preliminary evidence supporting the feasibility and potential psychological benefits of structured online empowerment interventions for IPV survivors in the Greek context.
Liafou et al. (Fri,) studied this question.
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