Mama Empoderada: Parenting and Mental Health Intervention

Mama Empoderada: A Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Preventative Intervention for Spanish Speaking Mothers and Their Young Children

This project focuses on the implementation and preliminary evaluation of Mama Empoderada, a brief 12-week group intervention that is based on a parenting program (Mom Power).

The researcher's hypotheses are that:

1. Participants will show high rates of fidelity, acceptability, and satisfaction with the intervention
2. Participants will experience decreases in depression, anxiety, isolation, parenting stress, and parent-child interaction problems from pre- to post-intervention, as well as increases in parenting sense of competence.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Parenting; Mental Health
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Mama Empoderada

Detailed Description

The study team is from the University of Michigan. The intervention will take place at La Casa Amiga in Pontiac, Michigan.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 20
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Olivia Oates; Phone Number: 248-804-2846; Email: oolivia@med.umich.edu

Study Locations

• United States
  • Michigan
    • Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States, 48109
      • University of Michigan
      • Contact: Olivia Oates; Phone Number: 248-804-2846; Email: oolivia@med.umich.edu
      • Principal Investigator: Cecelia Martinez-Torteya, PhD.

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Identifies as a mother of a child ages 6 or younger;
2. Spanish-speaker;
3. available and interested in participating in an in-person or virtual maternal wellbeing and parenting group intervention at La Casa Amiga. Eligibility criteria will be confirmed by each participant through a brief online screening and a phone call with research staff.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Participants who are high risk for suicide based on Columbia Suicide Rating Scale

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Basic Science
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Intervention / Treatment

Experimental: Mama Empoderada; 20 Spanish-speaking mothers of young children (i.e., ages 0 to 6). Given the population served by recruiting partners, it is expected that many of the women will experience economic oppression and racism/prejudice.

Behavioral: Mama Empoderada; Mama Empoderada focuses on the five pillars of the original Mom Power intervention, and evidence-based treatment that enhances maternal mental health, parenting, and the mother-child relationship. The pillars are: psychoeducation on attachment-based parenting, supporting mother-child relationships, self-care, enhancing social support, and connection to community resources.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Maternal Depression	9 items rated on a 4-point frequency scale (Sum score range = 0 to 27; higher scores indicate more depressive symptoms)	Baseline, up to 21 days post-intervention
Maternal Anxiety	7 items rated on a 4-point frequency scale (Sum score range = 0 to 21; higher scores indicate more anxiety symptoms)	Baseline, up to 21 days post-intervention
Maternal Isolation	Assessed using the UCLA-3 Loneliness Scale 3 items rated on a 3-point frequency scale (Sum score range = 1 to 9; higher scores indicate more loneliness)	Baseline, up to 21 days post-intervention
Maternal Parenting Stress	Assessed using the Parenting Stress Inventory - Short Form- 12-item Parental Distress subscale and 12-item Parent-Child Dysfunctional Interaction subscale, rated on a 5-point agreement scale (Range = 12 - 60; higher scores indicate more distress or dysfunction)	Baseline, up to 21 days post-intervention
Mother Child Interaction Problems	Assessed using the Parenting Sense of Competence Scale-16 items rated on a 6-point agreement scale (Sum score range = 16 to 96; higher scores indicate higher parenting self-efficacy)	Baseline, up to 21 days post-intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Michigan
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Cecilia Martinez-Torteya, PhD, University of Michigan

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): April 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): October 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): October 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 21, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 28, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): May 6, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 6, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 28, 2026
• Last Verified: April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Mental health; Spanish; Group intervention
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Behavior; Personal Satisfaction; Psychological Well-Being
• Other Study ID Numbers: HUM00289106; 20250010-00 (Other Identifier: Michigan Department of Health and Human Services)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No