Clinical trial NCT01503138: Intervention for Abused Chinese Immigrant Women
Official title: The Effect of a Purpose-built Intervention on Mental Health in Mainland Chinese Immigrant Women Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Mental Health Wellness 1
Domestic Violence
Keywords: Intimate Partner Violence
Depressive Symptoms
Intervention
Randomized Controlled Trial
Mainland Chinese
Immigrants
Women
Lead sponsor: The University of Hong Kong
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2012-01-02
Enrollment: 250
Sex: FEMALE
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Brief summary: 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.

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.

Eligibility criteria: 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.

Primary outcomes:
measure: Change from baseline in depressive symptoms at 6-month post-intervention
timeFrame: Baseline and 6-month post-intervention
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Change from baseline in parenting stress at 6-month post-intervention
timeFrame: Baseline and 6-month post-intervention
measure: Change from baseline in perceptions of social support at 6-month post-intervention
timeFrame: Baseline and 6-month post-intervention
measure: Change from baseline in health-related quality of life at 6-month post-intervention
timeFrame: Baseline and 6-month post-intervention
measure: Change from baseline in intimate partner violence at 6-month post-intervention
timeFrame: Baseline and 6-month post-intervention
measure: Change from baseline in safety behaviors at 6-month post-intervention
timeFrame: Baseline and 6-month post-intervention.
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Hong Kong
country: China
facility: HKSKH Lady MacLehose Center
Study officials:
affiliation: The University of Hong Kong
name: Agnes Tiwari, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Golding JM. Intimate partner violence as a risk factor for mental disorders: a meta-analysis. J Fam Viol 1999; 14: 99-132.
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citation: 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.
citation: Brush LD. Battering, traumatic stress, and welfare-to-work transition. Violence Against Women 2000; 6:1039-1065.
citation: 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.
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citation: 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.
citation: 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.