Intervention with Violence-Exposed Women during the Prenatal Period Improves the Functioning of their Infants

• In Event: 1-195 - The impact of maternal trauma exposure and caregiving among low-income, ethnic minority infants and preschoolers

Integrative Statement

Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) occurs at alarmingly high rates, and the risk for IPV exposure rises during pregnancy. Violence during pregnancy affects not only a woman’s well-being, but also the health of her unborn child, with negative intergenerational effects that may extend into the infant’s early development. It is crucial to develop effective interventions that address perinatal health, early parenting, and infant development. The Pregnant Moms’ Empowerment Program (PMEP) was designed to address these needs. The PMEP is a 5-week, manualized intervention designed to integrate psychoeducation, interactive learning, and group-based discussion. Sessions include: becoming a group and safety planning, identifying and understanding sources of stress, cognitive and behavioral strategies to build resilience and resolve conflict, perinatal health and infant care, and positive parenting. The current study aimed to evaluate the effect of PMEP on infant cognitive, language, and socioemotional development at age 3-months.

Methods: Pregnant, IPV-exposed women (n=72) were recruited from organizations serving pregnant women and organizations serving individuals exposed to IPV. Of these women, n=37 were assigned to the PMEP intervention condition and n=35 were assigned to a no-treatment control condition. Assessments occurred at baseline, post-treatment (5 weeks post-baseline for controls), and 3 months postpartum. Women ranged in age from 17-42 (M=27.5). The sample was racially and ethnically diverse; 74.3% of women identified as Black or African American, 12.9% as White, 5.7% as Latina and 7.2% as another racial/ethnic group. Women’s monthly income was low $709.89 (SD=628.51). Infant development was assessed with The Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development. It was hypothesized that infants born to PMEP women would exhibit better cognitive, language, and socioemotional development as compared to infants born to women in the control condition.

Results: Women reported a high level of exposure to IPV in the past year. Specifically, at the baseline interview women reported experiencing an average of 82 events (SD=55.16) of psychological aggression, 51 events (SD=62.79) of physical assault, and 23 events (SD=36.10) of sexual coercion. Infants born to mothers who participated in PMEP had higher scores on socioemotional development (t(16)=-1.51, p<.07; d=.94) and language development (t(16)=-1.69, p=.05, d=1.15), but not cognitive development (d=.01) as compared to infants born to mothers in the control condition. Effect sizes were large for socioemotional and language development. Infant effects were not related to mothers’ weeks pregnant at baseline or mothers’ treatment dosage.

Conclusions: Results indicate that infants born to mothers who participated in the PMEP intervention had better language and socioemotional skills than infants who were born to mothers in the control condition. Given that PMEP sessions focus not only on improving the health and well-being of mothers, but also their knowledge and confidence as parents, these findings align with the positive benefits expected of the program. Results highlight the long-term and intergenerational benefit of a brief, low cost intervention for women experiencing violence during pregnancy. Future research should examine the mechanisms that contribute to these improvements in infant functioning, including changes in the mother’s mental health and parenting efficacy as related to intervention engagement.

Authors

• Kathryn Howell, University of Memphis
  Presenting Author

• Laura Miller-Graff, University of Notre Dame
  Non-Presenting Author