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)

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 ( = 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 depression-are likely to be sustained over time. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).