# MOthers' AdvocateS In the Community for Mothers with Experience of intimate partner violence

> **NIH NIH R34** · MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $254,121

## Abstract

In the United States, as many as 5 million women report experience of intimate partner violence (IPV; referring
to sexual or physical violence by current or former partners) annually. Depression and posttraumatic stress
disorder (PTSD) are the two most common mental health consequences of IPV. Developing depressive and
PTSD symptoms after experiencing IPV also increases future risks of IPV. Motherhood and pregnancy increase
the risk for prolonged exposure to physical, psychological and sexual IPV. With as many as 4% to 8% of pregnant
women reporting IPV during pregnancy, IPV can start or worsen during the perinatal period. Pregnant women
and mothers with children under 5 who experienced IPV exhibit poor physical health, mental health and obstetric
outcomes; leading to increased utilization of health services; even after the IPV ends. There is only one
intervention (Mother ADvocateS In the Community; MOSAIC) that effectively reduces IPV among Pregnant
women and mothers with children under 5 with experience of IPV; it forms the basis of this proposal. The
MOSAIC intervention uses non-professional mentor support provided by mothers in the community to reduce
IPV. It combines elements of social support, advocacy and mentoring. MOSAIC has been found to be effective
for reducing IPV in a previous large randomized trial. However, no existing intervention addresses both IPV and
the depressive and PTSD symptoms that often follow IPV, are associated with suffering and morbidity, and
potentiate future IPV risk among pregnant women and mothers with children under 5 or any group of women.
Thus, there is a need for an integrated intervention that addresses depressive and PTSD symptoms while
reducing subsequent IPV. The proposed project aims to create a MOSAIC Plus intervention by expanding the
original MOSAIC intervention to include elements of interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) to enhance mental health
outcomes. The project will develop a mentoring intervention and explore its feasibility, acceptability, and potential
engagement of target mechanisms for reducing depressive and PTSD symptoms and reducing subsequent risk
of IPV among pregnant women and mothers with children under 5 who report IPV and elevated symptoms of
maternal depression and PTSD. The control condition for the pilot randomized trial will be Enhanced Treatment
As Usual (ETAU). Potential target mechanisms include increased social support and effectiveness obtaining
resources. Interventions to improve mental health challenges experienced by pregnant women and mothers with
children under 5 who report IPV are of great public health significance. Reducing symptoms of maternal
depression and PTSD in women with the experience of IPV has significant public health benefits for mothers
and their children.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10285663
- **Project number:** 1R34MH127061-01
- **Recipient organization:** MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Maji Hailemariam DEBENA
- **Activity code:** R34 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $254,121
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-09-01 → 2024-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10285663

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10285663, MOthers' AdvocateS In the Community for Mothers with Experience of intimate partner violence (1R34MH127061-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10285663. Licensed CC0.

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