The Mothering Study Supporting Mother-Infant Relationships Affected by

The Mothering Study Supporting Mother-Infant Relationships Affected by Intimate Partner Violence N Letourneau Ph. D RN K Young MPhil T Cluney BN Student Child Health Intervention and Longitudinal Development (CHILD) Studies Program The Mothering Study

Community Researchers n Amanda Lawson n Moncton Headstart n Women in Transition Lyn Barrett n NS Transition Hose Assoc. n Barbara Clow Anne Darrah Fredericton Early Intervention n Steven Fletcher River Valley Health n n Claudette Landry NB Department of Health Sheila Profit Cape Breton University Evelyn Kennedy Cape Breton University Liz Lautard Liberty Lane Inc. River Valley Health n n n Elizabeth Godbout Julie Gallant Youth in Transition n Atlantic Centre of Excellence for Women’s Health n Director PEI Transition House Assoc. The Mothering Study Christine Le. Blanc VON Healthy Baby & Me

Academic Researchers n Nicole Letourneau n University of New Brunswick n n n Kimberly Critchley University of Prince Edward Island Jean Hughes Dalhousie University n Loretta Secco Cape Breton University Julia Campbell University of Prince Edward Island n Doug Willms n Miriam Stewart University of Alberta Carmen Gill Muriel Mc. Queen Fergusson Center for Family Violence The Mothering Study

Intimate Partner Violence Types of Intimate Partners Categories of Violence • Current or former spouses (including common-law spouses) • Dating partners • Current or former boyfriends • Divorced spouses • Separated spouses • • • Physical violence Sexual violence Threat of physical or sexual violence • Psychological/emotional abuse (including coercive tactics) when there has also been prior physical or sexual violence or prior threat of physical or sexual violence The Mothering Study

Violence and Child Health n n n Exposure to family violence is linked with severe psychological and behavioural effects on children in later life The effects of violence on children may be directly related to their lack of an emotionally safe and secure environment No research to date has looked at the effects of exposure to violence on infants or motherchild relationships The Mothering Study

Pathways to Resiliency The good news…. The Mothering Study

Pathways to Resiliency Not all children are negatively affected by Some exposurethat experience mothers to violence domestic violence may be more sensitive and responsive to their children’s needs, compensating for the negative effects of violence (Levendosky 2003; Wuest 2004) The Mothering Study

Pathways to Resiliency n Mothers of children exposed to domestic violence provide more positive forms of parenting over time than mothers not exposed to violence n This heightened sensitivity and responsiveness may be a key to the successful development of some children exposed to The Mothering Study IPV

Pathways to Resiliency The Mothering Study

Policy Relevance Policy makers internationally, from across Canada, and within the Maritime Provinces are calling for increased support to parents and families, especially in light of early childhood needs. The Mothering Study

Policy Relevance n n n n WHO Report on Violence and Health National Children’s Agenda Federal/Provincial/Territorial Early Childhood Development Agreement Family Violence Initiative, NS Our Children: Today’s Investment Tomorrow’s Promise, PEI Our Children: A Strategy for Healthy Child Development, PEI Greater Opportunities for New Brunswick Children: An Early Childhood Development Agenda New Brunswick Minister’s Working Group on Violence Against Women The Mothering Study

Implications for FAS Support & Prevention n Experiencing partner violence places women at greater risk of abusing drugs and/or alcohol n Substance abuse treatment may not be as effective if violence issues are not addressed n Violence is often hidden The Mothering Study

Research Questions n n n What is the impact of IPV on motherinfant relationships? What is the association between mother-infant relationships and infant development in families affected b IPV? What are (a) the support needs, (b) support resources, (c) barriers to support, and (d) preferences for support intervention to promote mother-infant relationships affected The Mothering Study

Research Methods n Community based, multi-site exploratory descriptive study n n Sites in PEI, NB, and NS (Cape Breton & mainland) Quantitative and qualitative data from mother infant pairs previously exposed to violence Qualitative data from Service Providers Sample size n n A total of 82 mother infant pairs are needed to support quantitative findings 10 -20 service providers are needed in each province The Mothering Study

Qualitative Interviews n Mothers will be asked to talk about How they think the violence affected themselves, their child, and their relationship with their child n What kinds of services they used, and how they think services could be improved The Mothering Study n

Qualitative Interviews n Services Providers will be asked about The impact of partner violence on mother-child relationships and child development n The support needs of women and children affected by violence n Perceived feasibility of support interventions n The Mothering Study

Quantitative Measures n Mothers will be asked to complete a number of assessments looking at Child development n Parent child relationship quality n The family environment n Other known parenting/life stressors n The Mothering Study

Quantitative Measures n n n n n Nursing Child Assessment Teaching Scale (NCATS) Ages and Stages questionnaires Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CESD) Social Provisions Scale (SPS) Family Functioning Scale (FFS) Difficult Life Circumstances Scale (DLC) Infant Characteristics Questionnaire (ICQ) Parenting Scale Motor and Social Development Scale (MSD) Demographic Information The Mothering Study

Special Considerations The Cycle of Violence n Long term implications of a violent relationship n Mothers’ needs for support n Mothers’ safety needs n Training n The Mothering Study

Research Progress þ Ethical approval has been received at one of the four research sites þ The pilot phase of the mother interviews has been completed (n = 3) þ Interviewers for each province have been trained The Mothering Study

Research Progress þ Service provider pilot interviews are beginning in New Brunswick þ Participant recruitment has begun in New Brunswick and is ongoing in Prince Edward Island þ Data collection in all three provinces is anticipated to be completed by the summer of 2008 The Mothering Study

Research Assistant Training n Training Manual n Training session held August 17, 2006 n Research Assistants from NS, PEI, and NB participated in a variety of group, roleplaying and hands on learning activities The Mothering Study

Research Assistant Training n Training session topics Research Objectives n Site Protocols n Safety and Sensitivity Protocols n Data Collection n Audio & Video Equipment Use n The Mothering Study

Recruitment n Service providers Community Research Team members n Service agencies used to recruit mother-infant pairs n n Participants n Recruitment efforts in both focused areas and the general population The Mothering Study

Participant Recruitment n Targeted Approaches n Agencies that target violence/at-risk families n Liberty Lane Second Stage Housing n VON Healthy Baby and Me n Chrysalis House for Youth in Transition n Coalition of Transition Houses n Center of Excellence in Women’s Health n Family Violence Outreach Program n Dept. of Health and Social Service The Mothering Study

Participant Recruitment n Universal Approaches Public Service Announcements n Paid Newspaper Ads n Candy Cards n Other ideas? n The Mothering Study

Candy Cards The Mothering Study

Acknowledgements n Canadian Institutes for Health Research n Muriel Mc. Queen Fergusson Center for Family Violence Research n M. Merritt-Gray, J. Wuest, K. White (UNB) The Mothering Study