Adapting a novel mental health prevention intervention for migrant mothers with young children in a humanitarian setting - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
The goal of this pilot study is to adapt and pilot-test a novel mental health prevention intervention for migrant
mothers with young children (MMC) in a humanitarian setting. Global migration is rising at record-high rates,
with the number of women traveling with children continuing to rise at the U.S.-Mexico border. Tijuana, Mexico
is located at the busiest land border crossing globally and faces an unprecedented humanitarian crisis resulting
from displacement due to violence, political conflict, lack of economic opportunity, and climate change,
exacerbated by migration policies that have forced hundreds of thousands of migrants to wait in Mexico under
prolonged and unsafe conditions. Migrant women in transit in such contexts face high risk of developing mental
disorders such as depression and anxiety, driven by gendered social-structural factors including violence,
social isolation, migration uncertainty, and limited access to services. Although migrants in transit who endure
such conditions have high need for mental health prevention, few evidence-based interventions are tailored to
migrant women in transit. Moreover, while women and children’s mental health in humanitarian contexts are
interconnected, few mental health interventions address parenting needs. We propose to adapt ‘Mamá
Empoderada’ [Mom Power] - a theory-based, trauma-informed group intervention to promote mental health
and positive parenting among mothers with young children (0-5 years) for the first time with MMC. This multi-
component intervention includes a parenting program alongside activities to address social-structural
vulnerabilities (e.g., connection to resources, strengthening social support). It has demonstrated efficacy on
reduced parenting stress and mental health symptoms for trauma-exposed U.S. mothers and has recently
been translated into Spanish. Our specific aims are to 1) Adapt, pre-test, and refine ‘Mamá Empoderada’ with
MMC in a humanitarian context; 2) Conduct a pilot study of the adapted intervention to determine acceptability
and estimate effect sizes on symptoms of depression, anxiety, and parenting stress; and 3) Explore which
theory-based mechanisms of action predict changes in symptoms of depression, anxiety, and parenting stress,
and identify factors associated with differential intervention response. We will conduct focus groups and pre-
testing to adapt and refine the intervention, and conduct a pilot RCT of the adapted intervention with MMC
(N=100; Ntreatment=50; Ncontrol=50). The intervention group (IG) will receive trauma-informed group and individual
sessions on parenting, linkage to resources (e.g., food, shelter), social support, and resilience. The control
group will receive written intervention materials, standard of care programming, and participate in the
intervention following completion of the study by the IG (i.e., after 6 months). Both groups will complete
baseline and exit surveys, as well as follow-up surveys at 3- and 6- months post-intervention. Amid rising
population displacement and prolonged and traumatic migration journeys, this study addresses an urgent need
for scalable and tailored mental health prevention for MMC in transit in humanitarian contexts.
