# Adaptation and assessment of a family intervention designed to improve maternal and child mental health in resource-limited settings

> **NIH NIH K23** · MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL · 2020 · $197,165

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Background: It is estimated that 36% of children around the world experience emotional abuse, 23%
experience physical abuse and 12% experience sexual abuse. Child abuse is a risk factor for physical and
mental health problems in adulthood, as well as for child abuse in the next generation, leading to a cycle of
abuse and mental illness. While 85% of the world's population lives in low and middle-income countries
(LMICs), just 6% of research publications on psychiatric interventions represent studies conducted in LMICs.
Given resource constraints inherent to LMICs, as well as unique social and cultural factors that influence
parenting practices and uptake of interventions, local contextual understanding of trauma and mental illness is
key to acceptable and effective prevention and intervention. Perú is a middle-income country with high rates of
child abuse and adolescent pregnancy, and where depression is the leading cause of years lived with
disability. The Ministry of Health has identified maternal and child health as a priority. Thus, I propose to
conduct this 3-phase study in Lima, Perú. Specific aims: 1) To conduct a qualitative assessment of norms and
values related to child-rearing through focus group discussions with clinical staff (N=18) and in-depth
interviews with postpartum adolescents (N=10) and their family members (N=6); 2) To adapt a perinatal home
visiting intervention to a unique setting, population, and format 3) To assess maternal psychiatric symptoms,
child abuse risk, caregiver sensitivity, and infant emotion regulation in the intervention group (N=30) as
compared to the standard care group (N=30). Candidate: I am well-positioned to accomplish these aims given
my training in psychiatry and my experience conducting mixed methods research with adolescents in resource-
limited settings. My overall career goal is to become an independent clinical investigator conducting global
maternal and child mental health research, with a focus on intergenerational trauma. Training objectives: At
the end of my 5-year training award, I will have acquired the research skills in ethnographic observational
research, perinatal intervention development and assessment, and quantitative data analysis to be able to
tackle the complex research questions in global mental health. The award will provide essential data to design,
adapt, and expand interventions to support caregivers, prevent child abuse, and improve maternal and child
mental health outcomes in resource-limited settings in the US and around the world. Training activities: I will
draw on the expertise of an internationally-renowned committee of mentors (Drs. Michelle Williams, Marta
Rondón, Sixto Sanchez, and Anne Becker) collaborators (Drs. Peter Cooper and Lynne Murray) and a
consultant (Dr. Douglas Hayden), field-based experience in Perú, formal coursework at the Harvard T.H. Chan
School of Public Health, and seminars, trainings, conferences and workshop attendance.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9988520
- **Project number:** 5K23MH115169-03
- **Recipient organization:** MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** Elizabeth Jane Levey
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $197,165
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-08-13 → 2023-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9988520

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9988520, Adaptation and assessment of a family intervention designed to improve maternal and child mental health in resource-limited settings (5K23MH115169-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9988520. Licensed CC0.

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