Individual Growth Curve Modeling of Financial Education Intervention to Decrease Depression Among Female Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence

Background and Purpose

Depression is a major mental health consequence among female survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) across cultures, but depression interventions have not taken financial education into consideration. Financial education intervention has been empirically validated to empower IPV survivors economically; however, its effectiveness on depression remains unclear. Current research has not considered financial education as a recommendation to reduce depression. This paper proposes an innovative means to address the gap between financial education and depression treatments.

Methods

This study utilized data collected during a longitudinal, randomized controlled trial study evaluating the impact of a financial literacy program with IPV survivors. A sample of 456 women were recruited from 14 IPV agencies across Northeast, Midwest, Texas, and Puerto Rico in the U.S. Participants were randomly assigned in to intervention group (n=240) and control group (n=216). The first interview (T1) was conducted prior to the intervention, and three follow-up interviews (T2-T4) took place over 14 months. In addition to case management, the intervention group was given financial education through 4 group sessions and 1 individual session after the baseline interview. Depression was measured by the 20-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. To examine the longitudinal pattern of financial intervention on depression, Individual Growth Curve (IGC) models are used to estimate individual differences in with-in person change over time based on the set of observed repeated measures, allowing us to evaluate treatment effects between intervention and control groups.

Results

In the linear mixed model analysis, the intraclass correlation coefficient indicated that 59% of the total variation of depression was attributed to the differences between individuals. The estimates of fixed effects showed that intervention was a significant predictor of the linear, quadratic, and cubic changes in depression (p< 0.05). In terms of the linear slope of depression, the control group had a slower rate of change compared to the intervention group (β=-24.90, SE=11.81, p< 0.05). The control group showed a faster rate of quadratic change in depression compared to the intervention group (β=55.60, SE=26.86, p< 0.05). Overall, the intervention group had a more stable trajectory of change than the control group. The financial education intervention accounted for 13.3% of the within-individual variation in depression. The fitted trajectories prototypical plot showed that both intervention group and control groups decreased depression scores from T1 to T3, but the control group increased the score in T4.

Conclusion and Implications

This paper contributes to specifying the effectiveness of financial education on depression over time for IPV survivors. The link between financial intervention and mental health is valid for social workers to emphasize financial concerns during screening, assessment, and treatment. Policymakers and funders need to allocate financial provisions to combat depression that IPV survivors often face. Researchers can explore other mediators or moderators that strengthen the linkage between financial education and depression among IPV survivors. Social work education needs to integrate financial education into course curriculum. To assist female IPV survivors to recover financially and psychologically, financial education intervention and strategies have to become priorities.