About this paper symposium

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Panel information
Panel 16. Prevention and Interventions

Paper #1
Long-term effects of the Pregnant Moms’ Empowerment Program on IPV, maternal depression, and child externalizing
Author information	Role
Dr. Kathryn H. Howell, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin Madison, United States	Presenting author
Hannah C. Gilliam, University of Memphis, United States	Non-presenting author
Jessica R. Carney, University of Memphis, United States	Non-presenting author
Catherine A Maloney, MSc, University of Memphis, United States	Non-presenting author
Laura E. Miller-Graff, PhD, University of Notre Dame, United States	Non-presenting author
Abstract
Intimate partner violence (IPV), which includes physical, sexual, or psychological abuse from a current or former partner, occurs at strikingly high rates, with approximately 25% of women in the United States experiencing IPV in their lifetime (Sardinha et al., 2022). The onset of IPV is typically during women’s childbearing years (Halpern et al., 2009), and the risk for IPV is heightened during pregnancy (Taillieu & Brownridge, 2010). Prenatal IPV has negative effects on women’s mental health (Kline & Reed, 2020), as well as negative intergenerational impacts on their children (McMahon et al., 2011). Given the extensive ramifications of prenatal IPV, it is critical to create targeted interventions and evaluate their short- and long-term effectiveness (Howell et al., 2017). The Pregnant Moms’ Empowerment Program (PMEP) is a five-session group intervention that targets the unique needs of pregnant, IPV-exposed women via psychoeducation and interactive content related to IPV, mental health, perinatal health, infant care, and early parenting. Previous evaluations of PMEP indicate that participation in the program is associated with fewer experiences of IPV revictimization and improvements in maternal depression (Miller-Graff et al., 2022), as well as higher maternal empathy towards children, more appropriate expectations of children, and more warm-sensitive parenting (Howell et al., 2024). Importantly, these effects were only evaluated through one-year postpartum, so the longer-term impact of PMEP on women’s and children’s functioning remains untested. The current study examined the effects of PMEP on women’s IPV revictimization and mental health, as well as their children’s internalizing and externalizing behavior problems, approximately five years following program participation. Participants included 78 women (56.9% of the original sample) who received the PMEP intervention (n = 46) or a no-treatment control condition (n = 32) during pregnancy. Mothers self-reported current IPV exposure, depressive symptoms, and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). They also reported on internalizing and externalizing behavior problems in the child with whom they were pregnant during participation in PMEP (now aged four or five). Results of bootstrapped linear regression models indicated that, at five years post-treatment, women who received PMEP, as compared to women in the control condition, reported significantly lower levels of depressive symptoms (β=-6.00, p=.019); poisson regression analyses also indicated the women who received PMEP reported significantly fewer total IPV experiences (IRR= 0.44, p=.004). Further, the preschool-aged children of women who participated in PMEP exhibited significantly fewer externalizing symptoms (β=-4.46, p=.045) than children of women in the control condition. No differences between PMEP and the control condition were observed in children’s internalizing symptoms or mothers’ PTSS. Findings demonstrate novel benefits of the Pregnant Moms’ Empowerment Program, with results extending previous work by showcasing long-term benefits of program participation five years following the intervention. Given that these findings indicate PMEP participation reduces violence in the family system and improves not only women’s mental health, but also the functioning of their children, efforts should be made to disseminate the program broadly.

Paper #2
Long-term Stability and Change in Mother-Child Reminiscing Following Intervention: Pandemic, Reminiscing and Emotion Training Effects
Author information	Role
Kristin Valentino, Ph.D., University of Notre Dame, Shaw Center for Children and Families, United States	Presenting author
Katherine Edler, MA, University of Notre Dame, United States	Non-presenting author
Karen Jacques, University of Notre Dame, United States	Non-presenting author
Jennie Boulus, University of Notre Dame, United States	Non-presenting author
Lijuan Wang, PhD, University of Notre Dame, United States	Non-presenting author
Abstract
Sociocultural and developmental psychopathology perspectives highlight the importance of parent-child conversations for shaping children’s cognitive and socioemotional skills (e.g., Vygotsky, 1978; Cicchetti & Valentino, 2006). Parent-child reminiscing about past shared emotional experiences is a central context for parents to shape children’s understanding of the past and to teach children how to cope with their emotions (Fivush et al., 2006; Salmon & Reese, 2016). However, mothers who have engaged in child maltreatment tend to have difficulties reminiscing (Valentino et al., 2019). The Reminiscing and Emotion Training (RET; Valentino et al., 2013; 2019) intervention was developed to improve maternal elaborative and emotionally sensitive reminiscing among maltreating mothers of preschool-aged children. Evaluations of treatment outcomes demonstrated that RET is associated with improvements in maternal reminiscing immediately after the intervention; however, the long-term duration of effects remain unclear. Moreover, although we know that reminiscing can help children cope with distress, much is to be learned about the COVID-19 pandemic, and how this stressor may have affected trajectories of mother-child reminiscing over time. The primary aims of the current study were to evaluate the long-term effects of RET and maltreatment on two aspects of mother-child reminiscing (sensitive guidance and elaboration) five years post-intervention, and to examine how the pandemic may have affected mother-child reminiscing. In the trial of RET, 248 mothers and their preschool-aged children participated, including 165 families with maltreatment who were randomized to receive RET (n = 83) or a case management community standard condition (CS, n = 82), and a group of demographically similar families with no history of child maltreatment (NC, n = 83). Dyads participated in assessments at baseline (T1), post-intervention 8 weeks later (T2), six months (T3) and one year later (T4). Five years post intervention (T5), 166 families participated in a fifth assessment when children were aged 8-12 years. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic occurred midway through collection of T5. At each time point, mothers and children reminisced about four shared emotional events, when children felt happy, sad, scared, and angry. These conversations were videotaped and transcribed verbatim, and then coded for elaboration with an utterance-based coding scheme and maternal sensitive guidance was coded with the Autobiographical Emotional Events Dialogue (Koren-Karie et al., 2003). Coders were naïve to maltreatment and intervention status and reliability was achieved. Piecewise growth models including five waves of data indicated that mothers in the RET group on average remained higher in sensitive guidance and elaboration at T5 than mothers in the CS group (Fig 1). Mothers in the CS group on average remained lower in sensitive guidance and elaboration than the NC group at T5 (Fig 1). Following intervention-related change between T1 and T2, all three groups demonstrated stability in mothers’ trajectories of reminiscing from T2 to T5. The pandemic onset did not significantly affect maternal reminiscing at T5 or change in reminiscing from T2 to T5. The implications of the sustained benefits of RET on maternal reminiscing over two developmental periods are discussed.

Paper #3
Long-term trajectories and intervention outcomes of women’s physical health following intimate partner violence victimization
Author information	Role
Maria M. Galano, University of Massachusetts Amherst, United States	Presenting author
Dr. Sara F. Stein, University of Michigan, United States	Non-presenting author
Andrew C. Grogan-Kaylor, University of Michigan, United States	Non-presenting author
Sandra A. Graham-Bermann, University of Michigan, United States	Non-presenting author
Abstract
Background/Purpose. Intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization is a pervasive public health problem with severe long-term physical and mental health consequences (Smith et al., 2018). Poor physical health is one of the most devastating outcomes of experiencing this violence, including cardiovascular disease, gastrointestinal disorders, and musculoskeletal pain (Bacchus et al., 2018). In fact, women in relationships with violence are 1.5 to 2 times more likely to have long-term physical health problems than women that do not experience violence (World Health Organization, 2013). The Moms’ Empowerment Program (MEP; Graham-Bermann 2012) is a 10-session, group and community-based psychotherapeutic intervention for women with children who have experienced IPV that has been previously shown to be associated with short-term improvements in physical health for Latina women (Clark et al., 2018). However, no studies have examined the long-term impacts of the MEP on women’s physical health. Furthermore, limited research has considered the role of IPV-related posttraumatic and depressive symptoms, continued IPV victimization, and race on long-term health outcomes. The current study examined the effects of the MEP on women’s physical health eight years after receiving treatment. We also examined associations between trajectories of posttraumatic and depressive symptoms, IPV victimization, and race on physical health across eight years. Methods. Women (N = 118) with children participated in a randomized control trial of a treatment program for mothers who had experienced IPV victimization. Participants completed four clinical interviews over eight years: at baseline (time 1), 5-weeks after enrollment (time 2), 6-8 months after enrollment (time 3), and 8-years after enrollment (time 4). Women reported on physical health at each time point. Posttraumatic stress and depressive symptoms and amount of IPV victimization was assessed using standardized measures at each measurement occasion. Longitudinal multilevel modeling (MLM; Raudenbush & Bryk, 2002) was used to examine predictors of women’s physical health over eight years, including participation in the MEP, posttraumatic stress, depressive symptoms, IPV, and race. Maternal age was included as a covariate given associations with physical health. Results: Over the eight years, women’s physical health declined. Results of MLM (Table 1) revealed a trend-level association between participation in the MEP and better physical health over eight years. Additionally, increases in depressive symptoms were associated with worse physical health. Likewise, women that identified as a person of color reported worse physical health over time. There was a trend level effect of IPV victimization on physical health, such that women that experienced more IPV over time had worse physical health. Women’s posttraumatic stress symptoms and age were not significantly associated with their physical health in this study. Conclusions/Implications: This study underscores the complexity of addressing long-term physical health consequences of IPV among women. Although the MEP offers a valuable framework for supporting women with IPV victimization, the lack of a significant long-term impact on physical health may indicate a need for more ongoing support for women. Furthermore, study findings suggest that additional treatment approaches must comprehensively address mental health (depressive symptoms) and systemic inequalities (i.e. racism) to impact long-term physical health.

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