Healing Circles: An Evaluation of an Intervention for Canadian Indigenous Mothers and Children Affected by Intimate Partner Violence

Research Goals & Objectives. Our overall goal is to conduct a feasibility study of two successful evidence-based interventions (Mother's Empowerment Program and Kid's Club Program) designed specifically to meet the needs of Indigenous mothers and their children who have experienced intimate partner violence (IPV).

Specifically, our objectives are:

1. To successfully adapt two existing effective evidence-based interventions for mothers and children who have experienced IPV for Indigenous mothers and children who have experienced IPV. Our adaptation process reflects our overall integrated knowledge translation (iKT) approach, undertaken in close partnership with our Community Advisory Council (CAC) and in consultation with Elders at both sites. As outlined by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), it follows a two-eyed seeing approach, incorporating Western and Indigenous knowledge, ways of knowing and being.
2. To pilot and evaluate our adapted interventions with mothers and children recruited from our community partners (Wahbung Abinoonjiiag, an Indigenous non-profit organization in Winnipeg and Discovery House, a crisis shelter and second stage housing facility for women in Calgary). We plan to evaluate our adapted programs using a two-eyed seeing approach that combines Western (quantitative) and Indigenous (qualitative) methodologies. As part of our iKT approach, our mixed methods evaluation will rely upon ongoing engagement and feedback from our CAC. Quantitative methods (e.g., standardized questionnaires) will be used to assess changes in the mental and physical health and well-being of mothers and their children over time. Qualitative methods (e.g., semi-structured interviews, narratives) will be used to evaluate the intervention experience and perceived changes in self perceptions (e.g., resilience).

Hypotheses. We will determine if there is an increase, both immediately post-intervention and sustained over 6-8 months, in mothers' and children's mental (e.g., resilience) and physical well-being (e.g., perceived health status), and if there is a reduction in mothers' and children's mental health (e.g., depression, anxiety and traumatic stress symptoms) and physical difficulties (e.g., somatic symptoms such as headaches). For children, analyses will take age, gender and sex into account.