Psychological treatments for depression among women experiencing intimate partner violence: findings from a randomized controlled trial for behavioral activation in Goa, India

Intimate partner violence (IPV) strongly predicts depression, but it is unknown if women experiencing IPV can benefit from depression treatments in contexts where depression and IPV are prevalent. This study explored whether women experiencing IPV in Goa, India, can benefit from the Healthy Activity Program (HAP), a culturally adapted behavioral activation treatment, compared with enhanced usual care (EUC). Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses were performed on data from a clinical trial. Measures assessed at baseline and 3 and 12 months included depressive symptoms. Measures assessed at 3 and 12 months included activation and IPV. Independent t tests were conducted to assess if participants experiencing IPV had higher depressive symptoms and lower activation at 3 and 12 months; hierarchical linear regression was conducted to determine if 3-month IPV predicted 12-month depressive symptoms across trial arms (Hypothesis 1). Hierarchical linear regression was then conducted to examine if the relationship between 3-month activation and 12-month depressive symptoms was moderated by 3-month IPV within each trial arm (Hypothesis 2). As expected, participants experiencing IPV had significantly lower activation levels and higher depressive symptoms compared with participants who did not experience IPV at 3 and 12 months in cross-sectional analyses. Similarly, IPV endorsed at 3 months significantly predicted depressive symptoms at 12 months. However, activation was significantly associated with less severe depressive symptoms at 12 months, irrespective of IPV endorsement among HAP participants. For EUC participants, IPV remained the only significant predictor of depressive symptoms at 12 months. Results suggest that women experiencing IPV can still benefit from behavioral activation. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1007/s00737-019-00992-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.