# Intervening during the Prenatal Period with Women Exposed to Intimate Partner Violence to Improve Maternal Functioning and Infant Adjustment

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME · 2022 · $121,642

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Intimate partner violence (IPV) occurs at alarmingly high rates, with the highest risk of IPV exposure during
pregnancy. IPV during this critical juncture is associated with postpartum depression, posttraumatic stress,
disruption to the mother-infant relationship, and poor infant outcomes. There is also emerging evidence
suggesting that the COVID-19 pandemic is exacerbating the prevalence of IPV. Paired with other, on-going
pandemic-related stressors, women with a history of IPV, especially those in the perinatal period, may be
particularly vulnerable to the negative ramifications of COVID-19. A critical need therefore exists for
longitudinal research investigating the effects of the pandemic on IPV-exposed women and their young
children. Given that the conditions of the pandemic fluctuate significantly across persons and time, intensive
longitudinal methods that are able to capture dynamic change are likely to provide valuable insights into risk
and resilience in these families. This urgent competitive revision seeks to address these pressing questions,
leveraging the existing strengths of an ongoing NICHD-funded study of a theoretically-driven intervention
program with pregnant, IPV-exposed women, the Pregnant Moms’ Empowerment Program (PMEP; MPIs
Miller-Graff & Howell, R01HD098092). The specific aims of the parent proposal are to (1) evaluate the efficacy
of the PMEP for women’s mental health, resilience and IPV victimization across the perinatal period, (2)
evaluate the efficacy of the PMEP in promoting infant development and (3) test process models for treatment
change for women and infants in the context of a two-site. The parent project includes assessments at 4 time
points (2 prenatal, 3 months postpartum, 1 year postpartum). Currently (n=67) women of a targeted N=230
have enrolled in the parent project, and the project has fully adapted to telehealth delivery and assessments,
allowing us to maintain excellent participant retention throughout the pandemic. The project proposed for the
competitive revision will add monthly assessments of pandemic-related stressors and the collection of a 30-day
daily diary on stress, mood, and mother-child relational quality immediately following the final assessment
wave (i.e., 1 year postpartum), to address three unique and timely aims: (1) evaluating the indirect effects of
intervention on pandemic-related stressors, (2) examining the moderating effect of social and instrumental
supports, and (3) analyzing dynamic associations in daily maternal mood, perceived stress, and mother-child
relational quality. Analyses will be conducted using multilevel and structural equation modeling. This project is
innovative – not just in the context of the pandemic – but also in the field of IPV research more generally for its
multi-time scale, multi-method design. Further, the specific aims address pressing questions relative to the
social and behavioral impacts of COVID-19 on children and families, pro...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10676047
- **Project number:** 3R01HD098092-04S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME
- **Principal Investigator:** Kathryn H Howell
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $121,642
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2019-08-26 → 2024-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10676047

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10676047, Intervening during the Prenatal Period with Women Exposed to Intimate Partner Violence to Improve Maternal Functioning and Infant Adjustment (3R01HD098092-04S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-01 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10676047. Licensed CC0.

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