Adaptation and pilot trial of an intervention to reduce intimate partner violence and mental health symptoms among forcibly displaced resettled Congolese populations in the United States

About This Grant

PROJECT SUMMARY Exposure to war, persecution, and forced migration put FDPs at disproportionately high risk for IPV and mental health problems. Many FD women arrive from countries where IPV is prevalent, and face increased risk before, during, and after displacement. Foreign-born women who experience IPV are more likely to be severely injured or killed, and report worse mental health than US-born women. Financial and social stressors, and persistent sex-based inequities in the US can exacerbate both IPV and poor mental health outcomes among FDPs. Yet, US-based programs primarily focus on connecting survivors to services once IPV occurs, overlooking strategic opportunities to prevent IPV and poor mental health among FDPs. In contrast to the US context, there is a rapidly evolving evidence-base of interventions developed globally that show promise in reducing IPV among FDPs. The EA$E (Economic And Social Empowerment) intervention (developed by IRC and MPI Wachter), has been shown to reduce IPV and PTSD symptoms in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) conducted in West Africa led by MPI Gupta. The International Rescue Committee (IRC), a global humanitarian organization, developed EA$E to address two underlying drivers of IPV in crisis settings--household financial strain and sex-based inequity in decision-making--innovatively diminishing risk factors associated with IPV. EA$E addresses IPV at the individual and interpersonal levels by leading couples engaged in economic activities through an 8-session discussion series on household financial wellbeing, budgeting, spousal communication, and alternatives to violence. US-based programs for FDPs are in need of evidence-based curricula to address IPV and mental health. Our overall objective is to advance the nascent science of IPV prevention among FDPs in the US. Our interdisciplinary team (public health, social work, and clinical psychology) is uniquely positioned to conduct the proposed study based on our combined expertise in IPV and mental health research and practice with FDPs across settings and longstanding partnership with the IRC. Guided by the ADAPT-ITT framework, Cascade Implementation Framework, and the NIMH experimental therapeutics approach, we will develop EA$E-US, examine preliminary effectiveness on intervention and intermediary outcomes, and assess implementation outcomes via a hybrid type 2 pilot study design.