Examining the efficacy of prenatal intervention in reducing IPV revictimization and improving maternal mental health: A quasirandomized controlled trial of the Pregnant Moms’ Empowerment Program (PMEP).

Abstract

Objective: The present study was a quasirandomized trial of the Pregnant Moms' Empowerment Program (PMEP) that examined the effects of the program on women's intimate partner violence (IPV) revictimization, depression, posttraumatic stress, and resilience. It was hypothesized that treatment would be associated with improvements across all of the indicated dimensions and that those women completing the module on violence and mental health would have particularly strong improvements. Method: Women who were currently pregnant, IPV-exposed, and at least 16 years of age were recruited and assigned to either a treatment or control condition. Participants (N = 137) completed four assessments (pretest [T1], posttest [T2], 3-months postpartum [T3], and 12-months postpartum [T4]). The key outcomes assessed included IPV (Revised Conflict Tactics Scales), depressed mood (Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale), posttraumatic stress (PTSD Checklist for DSM-5), and resilience (Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale). Results: Results of multilevel models examining IPV revictimization indicated that treatment was associated with significantly fewer experiences of physical assault and sexual coercion at all follow-up interviews (T2, T3, and T4) and fewer IPV-related injuries at T3 and T4. In addition, treatment exposure was associated with statistically and clinically significant improvement in depression at T2 and T4. The intervention had limited efficacy in increasing women's self-reported resilience or in reducing symptoms of posttraumatic stress. Conclusions: Together, these data suggest that PMEP is a promising evidence-based intervention for pregnant, IPV-exposed women, and that the effects-particularly for IPV and depressionare likely to be sustained over time.This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers.This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly.

Evaluating the effects of prenatal intervention on parenting in women exposed to intimate partner violence.

“…E. Miller-Graff & Cheng, 2017). Evidence supports the effectiveness of PMEP in reducing IPV revictimization and improving maternal mental health (L. E. Miller-Graff et al, 2022).…”

Empirically derived patterns of adverse childhood experiences and associations with prenatal social networks.

“…Efforts should be made to identify pregnant women who are at high risk for reduced social connections (e.g., High ACEs, experiencing IPV) and implement prenatal intervention programs to foster social support, which may improve maternal mental health and infant outcomes. Most prenatal interventions do not prioritize reducing trauma-related symptoms in tandem with building social supports, but one recent study indicates that brief, prenatal group interventions could be successful in reducing revictimization and lowering mental health symptoms (Miller-Graff et al, in press). To identify women who may benefit from these programs, prenatal care providers should assess both past and present exposure to adversity (e.g., child abuse, IPV exposure).…”

Causal inference for treatment effects in partially nested designs.

“…We use data from the Pregnant Moms’ Empowerment Program (PMEP) pilot study (Howell, 2017–2021; Miller-Graff, 2016–2020) to illustrate the application of the MLM-based outcome modeling and IPW approaches for estimation and inference of the average causal treatment effects in PNDs. The PMEP is an intervention program for pregnant women who have experienced intimate partner violence (IPV).…”