Women are most likely to experience violence from their intimate partners when they are young 鈥斅燼nd when they are pregnant.聽
Exposure to violence during that critical time is associated with a variety of negative outcomes for both mother and infant, and there is a lack of effective, evidence-based interventions to support them.
, an assistant professor of and 聽at the University of Notre Dame, is working to change that.
Miller-Graff, along with co-principal investigator of the University of Memphis, has been awarded $2.5 million from the National Institutes of Health to launch and evaluate an intervention program for pregnant women.
The project team also includes Notre Dame faculty members , the William J. Shaw Center for Children and Families Professor of Psychology; , the Mary Hesburgh Flaherty and James F. Flaherty III Collegiate Chair and Professor of Psychology; and , an associate professor of psychology.
鈥淲e are, of course, thrilled to receive this funding,鈥� Miller-Graff said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e spent years doing the basic research and collecting pilot data that inform the current research program, so it鈥檚 wonderful to see it all come together. We鈥檙e also glad to be able to continue providing this resource for women in our community.鈥�
The team piloted the group therapy program for pregnant women in South Bend and Memphis, with promising results. The grant from the NIH鈥檚 Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development will allow them to complete a randomized, controlled trial involving more than 200 women in a project titled聽鈥淚ntervening During the Prenatal Period with Women Exposed to Intimate Partner Violence to Improve Maternal Functioning and Infant Adjustment.鈥�
鈥淲e鈥檙e excited to test the program in the context of a larger, multi-site trial,鈥� said Miller-Graff, who is also a faculty fellow in the and the . 鈥淚f the research supports its effectiveness, we hope that it will be a cost-effective and scalable support for pregnant women.鈥�
The team is also working to adapt the program for use and Mexico, with support from the Kellogg Institute鈥檚 and , respectively.
Miller-Graff, a Notre Dame alumna, began researching violence exposure and its profound effects on development as a graduate student at the University of Michigan.聽
After joining the Notre Dame faculty in 2013, she has focused her research on how to prevent children鈥檚 exposure to partner violence, with the support of the University鈥檚 .
鈥淰iolence is an offense against the whole person, the whole family, and our response to it should also be holistic,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he core of our program focuses on promoting safety, healthy coping聽and strong positive relationships, but we approach it from a framework that realizes women鈥檚 access to these things is intimately connected to a host of other cultural, community聽and economic resources that inhibit or promote family well-being.鈥澛�
Originally published by at on 厂别辫迟.听16.