# Designing and evaluating a Single-session Transdiagnostic intervention for Emotion Regulation with follow-up mHealth support for domestic violence survivors in India.

> **NIH NIH K23** · HARVARD UNIVERSITY D/B/A HARVARD SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH · 2024 · $185,802

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
Domestic violence (DV) is a widespread global public health concern, with higher prevalence rates in low -and-
middle-income countries (LMIC), such as India, where a staggering 41% of Indian women report lifetime DV.
Although DV causes posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression, the unmet needs for mental health
care for women are massive. Drivers of this care gap include 1) a lack of treatments relevant for DV (i.e.,
continuous traumatic stress conditions), 2) a shortage of skilled providers, 3) high drop-out following initial
treatment sessions. The objective of this 5-year mixed-methods proposal is to develop and test a novel low-
intensity psychosocial intervention delivered to DV survivors in primary health clinics in Goa, India, by non-
specialists through task-sharing—a critical strategy that successfully addresses treatment gaps for mental health
in many LMIC. Dr. Patel (PI) will develop and test a brief intervention that is evidence-informed, culturally
acceptable, and brief using a single-session intervention (SSI) format, which are clinically effective for many
disorders among youth yet remain less-studied among adults. The SSI will target emotion regulation to build
resilience rather than actively processing trauma memories, as DV may be ongoing for many women who remain
married. Dr. Patel will then capitalize on the penetration of smartphones in India (61%) to sustain the clinical
effects of the SSI with ecological momentary intervention (EMI) follow-up via interactive chatbot to
encourage skills practice in daily life. In Aim 1, Dr Patel will design the intervention (Aim 1a: SSI development;
Aim 1b: EMI development). In Aim 2, she will conduct a case series (n=24) to optimize the content and delivery
processes of the intervention. In Aim 3, Dr Patel will pilot a randomized clinical trial (N=90) with three arms (SSI
alone; SSI+EMI; and enhanced usual care alone) to evaluate the acceptability and feasibility of the two
interventions and assess their preliminary effectiveness. She will base her research at Sangath, a world-
renowned community-based mental health research organization in India where she conducted her Fogarty
fellowship. The project research aims are integrated into Dr. Patel’s training aims to fill critical gaps in (1)
designing scalable psychosocial interventions for trauma-exposed people, (2) mastering the design and
deployment of mobile health (mHealth) support tools, such as EMI, to supplement in-person care, and (3) leading
RCTs with high ecological validity in ‘real-world’ public health settings. The exceptional training environment at
the Harvard Chan School of Public Health, world-class mentoring team with complementary expertise for all
training goals, and Dr. Patel’s long-standing partnership with the field site foster the success of this study. This
K23 award will support Dr. Patel in gaining the methods expertise and preliminary data to pursue an independent
research career....

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10887227
- **Project number:** 1K23MH135211-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** HARVARD UNIVERSITY D/B/A HARVARD SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
- **Principal Investigator:** Anushka Rajesh Patel
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $185,802
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-09-01 → 2024-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10887227

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10887227, Designing and evaluating a Single-session Transdiagnostic intervention for Emotion Regulation with follow-up mHealth support for domestic violence survivors in India. (1K23MH135211-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10887227. Licensed CC0.

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