Intervention for Abused Chinese Immigrant Women

The Effect of a Purpose-built Intervention on Mental Health in Mainland Chinese Immigrant Women Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence: A Randomized Controlled Trial

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of a purpose-built intervention in improving the mental health of abused Mainland Chinese immigrant women in a community in Hong Kong.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Mental Health Wellness 1; Domestic Violence
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Purpose-built intervention

Detailed Description

Depression is one of the most common mental health sequelae of Intimate partner violence. Not only does depression have an adverse effect on abused women's health and well-being, it also reduces their capacity to cope with the abuse by limiting their ability to perform self-care, meet work requirement, maintain independence, establish relationships, and access social support. Previously, the ability of abused women to take care of themselves was found to be a protective factor for depression. In order to enhance abused women's self-care, advocacy interventions have been developed to help them make sense of the abusive situation, identify potential solutions, and achieve their goals. Also, immigration status was shown to be significantly associated with a higher level of depressive symptoms among the abused women. The findings are important as they point to the need for further research to develop and evaluate culturally congruent interventions to meet the needs of abused Mainland Chinese immigrant women in Hong Kong. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to develop a purpose-built intervention to address the unmet needs of Mainland Chinese immigrant women survivors of Intimate partner violence and to assess its effect on the mental health of the women.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 250
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• China
  • Hong Kong, China
    • HKSKH Lady MacLehose Center

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: Female

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Mainland Chinese immigrant women,
• 18 years of age or older,
• holding a one-way or two-way permit,
• have settled in Hong Kong with their intimate partners for less than seven years,
• have at least one child under 18 years of age,
• residing in the Kwai Chung, Tsuen Wan or Tsing Yi districts, and
• assessed to be abused by an intimate partner, based on the Abuse Assessment Screen.

Exclusion Criteria:

• participated in our positive parenting program or advocacy intervention previously, or
• will not be in Hong Kong during the intervention/standard health education program or the follow-up telephone interview, or
• is abused by someone who is not her intimate partner, or
• is unable to communicate in Cantonese or Putonghua.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Purpose-built intervention; A purpose-built intervention consists of: (i) Empowerment; (ii) Parenting workshops; and (iii) Telephone social support and Peer support.	Behavioral: Purpose-built intervention; A purpose-built intervention consists of: (i) Empowerment; (ii) Parenting workshops; and (iii) Telephone social support and Peer support.
No Intervention: Standard community health education program; The community health education programme consists of two group sessions with one on the topic of osteoporosis and one on dietary therapy based on the concepts of Chinese medicine.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change from baseline in depressive symptoms at 6-month post-intervention	The Beck Depression Inventory version II is used to assess depressive symptoms at baseline and also at 6-month post-intervention	Baseline and 6-month post-intervention

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change from baseline in parenting stress at 6-month post-intervention	The Parenting Stress Index is used to measure paretning stress at baseline and also at 6-month post-intervention	Baseline and 6-month post-intervention
Change from baseline in perceptions of social support at 6-month post-intervention	The 12-item Interpersonal Support Evaluation List is used to assess perceptions of social supportat baseline and also at 6-month post-intervention	Baseline and 6-month post-intervention
Change from baseline in health-related quality of life at 6-month post-intervention	The SF-12 Health Survey is used to assess health-related quality of life at baseline and also at 6-month post-intervention	Baseline and 6-month post-intervention
Change from baseline in intimate partner violence at 6-month post-intervention	The Revised Conflict Tactics Scales is used to measure the type and frequency of behaviors used by the perpetrator during partner conflict at baseline and also at 6-month post-intervention.	Baseline and 6-month post-intervention
Change from baseline in safety behaviors at 6-month post-intervention	The Safety Assessment Checklist is used to to measure the safety behaviours used by abused women to avert intimate partner violence at baseline and also at 6-month post-intervention.	Baseline and 6-month post-intervention.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: The University of Hong Kong

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Golding JM. Intimate partner violence as a risk factor for mental disorders: a meta-analysis. J Fam Viol 1999; 14: 99-132.
• Kendall-Tackett KA. Inflammation, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic syndrome as sequelae of violence against women: the role of depression, hostility, and sleep disturbance. Trauma Violence Abuse. 2007 Apr;8(2):117-26. doi: 10.1177/1524838007301161. Erratum In: Trauma Violence Abuse. 2007 Jul;8(3):table of contents.
• Constantino RE, Sekula LK, Rabin B, Stone C. Negative life experiences, depression, and immune function in abused and nonabused women. Biol Res Nurs. 2000 Jan;1(3):190-8. doi: 10.1177/109980040000100304.
• Brush LD. Battering, traumatic stress, and welfare-to-work transition. Violence Against Women 2000; 6:1039-1065.
• O'Brien SM. Staying alive: a client with chronic mental illness in an environment of domestic violence. Holist Nurs Pract. 2002 Apr;16(3):16-23. doi: 10.1097/00004650-200204000-00006.
• Carlson BE, McNutt L, Choi DY, Rose IM. Intimate partner abuse and mental health: The role of social support and other protective factors. Violence Against Women 2002; 8: 720-745.
• Campbell JC, Kub J, Belknap RA, Templin TN. Predictors of depression in battered women. Violence Against Women 1997; 3: 271-93. PMID: 12349116
• Ford-Gilboe M, Varcoe C, Wuest J, Merritt-Gray M. Intimate partner violence and nursing practice. In Humphreys J, Campbell JC, eds. Family violence and nursing practice (2nd ed). New York: Springer 2010; 115-154.
• Wong JY, Tiwari A, Fong DY, Humphreys J, Bullock L. Depression among women experiencing intimate partner violence in a Chinese community. Nurs Res. 2011 Jan-Feb;60(1):58-65. doi: 10.1097/NNR.0b013e3182002a7c.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: December 1, 2011
• Primary Completion (Actual): March 1, 2014
• Study Completion (Actual): March 1, 2014

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: December 30, 2011
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 30, 2011
• First Posted (Estimate): January 2, 2012

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): December 3, 2014
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 2, 2014
• Last Verified: December 1, 2014

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Women; Randomized Controlled Trial; Intervention; Intimate Partner Violence; Depressive Symptoms; Immigrants; Mainland Chinese
• Other Study ID Numbers: UW 11-051