A Pilot Study Evaluating the Preliminary Efficacy of a Psychosocial Program for Asian American Women Experiencing Intimate Partner Violence

Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant global problem that leads to a plethora of tangible and intangible adversities to individuals, families, and societies. IPV affects as high as 43.6 million women in the U.S. Asian women endure complex IPV experiences exacerbated by sociocultural challenges such as immigrant status, acculturation stress, and linguistic and/or cultural barriers. In addition, IPV survivors often endorse comorbid mental health conditions compounded by sociocultural factors, which adds to the challenge of developing a comprehensive, and yet affordable treatment.

Our Program: Integrated Psychosocial Program (IPP), is a 12-week virtual based individual treatment comprised of psychoeducation and cognitive-behavioral oriented trainings, with a special focus on cultural factors. This study reports the results of a pilot study evaluating the acceptability, feasibility, and preliminary efficacy of IPP. We hypothesize that acceptability will be achieved by delivering all 12 sessions to a minimum of 75% of participants, and participants will demonstrate decreased psychological distress and improved emotion regulation skills upon completion.

Method:

Participants: Screening and baseline assessments were carried out by the research team members matched to the particular ethnic group. Among enrolled participants (N=20), 60% (n=12) were Chinese, 15% (n=3) were Korean, and 10% (n=2) were Indian Guyanese. The rest includes participants who identified with more than two ethnicities (10%, n=2) and identified as South Asian (5%, n =1). While more than half of the participants (55%, n=11) were not US-born, 45% (n=9) were US-born. The participants ranged in age from 19 to 60 with an average age of 33.8 (SD=13.61).

Measures: A battery of assessments were administered upon recruitment and at the completion of the 12-week IPP. IPV-related psychological distress was measured by Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI) and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). IPV-related negative emotions were assessed by the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule. An overall ED was gathered by using Generalized Emotion Dysregulation Measure (GEDM). Deficits in specific emotional domains were assessed by Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS). An adapted version of Cultural Competence Assessment was used to generate cultural competence ratings of IPP.

Analyses: Univariate analysis was conducted to identify sample characteristics and descriptive statistics among study participants. T-tests were run to identify whether there are significant improvements in mental health and emotion regulation outcomes after the treatment.

Results: All 20 participants completed all 12 sessions with a high cultural competence rating (M=102.7, SD=11.14). Further, participants showed less emotion regulation difficulties as measured by GEDM (t(19)=3.09, p<.01, d =.55) and DERS (t(19) = 3.51, p<.01, d =.53). In addition, they reported decreased depression (t(19) = 3.05, p<.01, d =.69), and anxiety scores (t(19)= 2.59, p<.05, d=.47).

Conclusion: This pilot study demonstrates the feasibility and short-term efficacy of IPP among a small group of Asian women experiencing IPV. Results from our study will lay critical groundwork for culturally-competent transdiagnostic interventions for underserved Asian women who are facing intersectional stigma and inform the development of policies that can benefit the population.