CLINICAL TRIAL article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Public Mental Health
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1541169
This article is part of the Research TopicConflicts, Hate and Violence in PsychotherapyView all articles
Behavioural intervention for mental health of pregnant women experiencing domestic violence: a randomized controlled trial
Provisionally accepted
Meerambika Mahapatro1*
sudeshna roy1poonam nayar1ashwini jadhav1suruchi panchkaran1divyanshu srivastava1sudha prasad2- 1National Institute of Health and Family Welfare, New Delhi, India
- 2Maulana Azad Medical College, University of Delhi, New Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi, India
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AbstractBackground: The intersection of domestic violence (DV) during pregnancy has multiple detrimental effects on the mother and family, resulting in mental health impairment. In a cognizant effort to empower pregnant women who have experienced DV, a Behavioural Intervention Package (BIP)—including yoga-based practices, interpersonal skills, and awareness sessions—was developed. was developed and used. The study aims to assess the effect of a BIP on the quality of life (QOL), DV, anxiety, depression, PTSD and coping mechanisms of Indian pregnant women experiencing DV during pregnancy.Methods: A randomised controlled trial (RCT) involving pregnant women experiencing DV and attending antenatal care (ANC) was conducted at Lok Nayak (LN) Hospital in New Delhi. Of 921 screened, 211 participants met the criteria and were randomly assigned to an intervention group (n = 105) or a control group (n = 106). The intervention group received BIP sessions plus standard care, while the control group received standard care only.Results: The mean age of women in the intervention group was 25.3 years, and in the control group, it is 24.5 years. The intervention group showed significant improvements in QOL(physical: 6.933 vs. -3.121; mental: 7.802 vs. -3.623), decreased anxiety (effect size: 9.979), and reduced depression (8.882), PTSD, and DV. Coping (MD = 1.1; 95% CI: -1.47 to -0.71) and social support (MD = 1.57) also improved. Conclusions: The BIP can positively impact the mental health of pregnant women experiencing DV and attending ANC in India. As no standardized intervention exists for this population attending ANC in a hospital in India, integrating the BIP as an intervention during ANC is recommended.
Keywords: Mental Health, Domestic Violence, Depression, Quality of Life, PTSD Trial registration: Indian Registry of Clinical Trials number is CTRI/2019/01/017009, dated 9
Received: 11 Dec 2024; Accepted: 07 May 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Mahapatro, roy, nayar, jadhav, panchkaran, srivastava and prasad. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Meerambika Mahapatro, National Institute of Health and Family Welfare, New Delhi, India
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