Proyecto Interconexiones : A Pilot Test of a Community-Based Depression Care Program for Latina Violence Survivors

Abstract

Background Latina intimate partner violence (IPV) survivors often face great barriers to depression care. We sought to use a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach to create and evaluate a community-based depression care program for Latina IPV survivors. Methods We created a multi-faceted, culturally-tailored intervention, based on principles of chronic illness management. A promotora provided case management services and led 12 weekly group sessions. Participants completed surveys at baseline and 6 months and participated in open-ended exit interviews. Results 10 Spanish-speaking Latina women participated in the intervention. The program had excellent attendance, with 100% of women attending at least 10 group sessions, and high satisfaction. We found a large decrease in depression severity (PHQ-9 17.3 to 7.2, p=0.001), as well as improvements in depression self-efficacy, self-esteem, and stress. Conclusion This study offers promising preliminary data to support the use of community-based approaches to reducing depression disparities in Latina IPV survivors.

A systematic review of community-based research interventions for domestic violence survivors.

“…The interventions varied in length, with the majority comprising five to 12 group sessions over a 1- to 6-month period. Interventions addressing mental health symptoms were most commonly described, such as a 10-session depression management program, 90-min therapy sessions focusing on decreasing posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and promoting self-care, and goal- and emotion-focused therapy sessions (Kelly & Pich, 2014; McWhirter, 2011; Nicolaidis, Mejia, et al, 2013; Nicolaidis, Wahab, et al, 2013; Wahab et al, 2014). Three interventions focused on the intersection of mental health, self-care, and parenting (Galano, Grogan-Kaylor, Stein, Clark, & Graham-Bermann, 2017; Macy, Ermentrout, & Rizo, 2012; Ragavan et al, 2017).…”

A systematic review of intimate partner violence interventions focused on improving social support and/ mental health outcomes of survivors

“…These group of studies, distinct from the ones described above focused on community education and change, so the focus of the studies was not just the individual survivor of violence, but the community as a whole. 9 (3 RCTs, 3 pre-post evaluations, 3 qualitative research) of the studies we reviewed consisted of interventions described as being community-based [34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42]. The definitions of community-focused interventions used for classifying the studies followed the typology by McLeroy et al [43], which refers to interventions where:…”

“…Three of the nine studies (1 RCT and 2 pre-post study) by Kelly et al [36], McWhirter et al [37], and Nicolaidis et al [38] described group therapy interventions that were designed in collaboration with the target population in a participatory way. These studies reported significant reductions in severity of mental health conditions like depression and PTSD, as well as an increase in social support and self-efficacy for the women who were involved in the study.…”

Advancing our knowledge of the complexity and management of intimate partner violence and co-occurring mental health and substance abuse problems in women

“…Interventions for women with co-occurring IPV and mental health problems have largely focused on studies of one type of counselling intervention, counselling for specific populations [ 26 ], or comparisons of two different counselling modalities [ 27 ]. Feder and colleagues [ 28 ] conducted a systematic review of 23 studies of psychological interventions for abused women with mental health problems who had left the abusive relationship.…”