Mathematica was awarded a contract by ACF to conduct the evaluation of selected grantees offering Healthy Marriage and Relationship Education Programs.This particular evaluation will focus on the University of Denver's MotherWise program, which offers relationship education and other supports to low-income women expecting a baby. The program has three core components: (1) 18 hours of core workshop sessions using the Within My Reach relationship education curriculum supplemented with content on mother-infant relationships; (2) case management services; and (3) optional relationship education workshops for couples. The evaluation will test the effect of this full package of services on mothers' relationship outcomes, as well as other outcomes related to child well-being, such as co-parenting and father involvement.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for Children and Families (ACF), is conducting an evaluation of healthy marriage and relationship education (HMRE) programs. Mathematica was awarded a contract by ACF to conduct the evaluation of selected programs/grantees.This segment of the larger evaluation will focus on the University of Denver's MotherWise program. The Mother Wise program will offer relationship education and other supports to low-income women expecting a baby. The program will have three core components: (1) 18 hours of core workshop sessions using the Within My Reach relationship education curriculum supplemented with content on mother-infant relationships; (2) case management services; and (3) optional relationship education workshops for couples. The evaluation will test the effect of this full package of services on mothers' relationship outcomes, as well as other outcomes related to child well-being, such as co-parenting and father involvement. If feasible, the evaluation will also examine some measures available through hospital records, such as birth weight. Mother Wise will enroll women who are expecting a baby and those who have had a baby within the past month. Control group members will not be eligible for Mother Wise but will be eligible for other services available in the community. To document the outcomes of study participants, survey data will be collected at two time points: (1) a baseline survey administered at study enrollment, a (2) a 12-month follow-up survey, and (3) a 30-month follow-up survey. Surveys will be conducted by staff at Mathematica's Survey Operations Center using computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI). Survey data may be supplemented with administrative records data from the Denver Health system.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
953
Healthy Marriage or Relationship Education services for pregnant women.
University of Denver
Denver, Colorado, United States
Perceived romantic relationship skills
Six-item scale (ranges from 1 to 4)
Time frame: 1 year after random assignment
Perceived romantic relationship skills
Six-item scale (ranges from 1 to 4)
Time frame: 30 months after random assignment
Perceived conflict management skills
Five-item scale (ranges from 1 to 4)
Time frame: 1 year after random assignment
Perceived conflict management skills
Five-item scale (ranges from 1 to 4)
Time frame: 30 months after random assignment
Support for going slow in romantic relationships
One-item scale (ranges from 1 to 4)
Time frame: 1 year after random assignment
Support for going slow in romantic relationships
One-item scale (ranges from 1 to 4)
Time frame: 30 months after random assignment
Disapproval of couple violence
Five-item scale (ranges from 1 to 4)
Time frame: 1 year after random assignment
Disapproval of couple violence
Five-item scale (ranges from 1 to 4)
Time frame: 30 months after random assignment
Any psychological abuse
A binary variable equal to 1 if the mother indicates that a romantic partner has subjected her to psychological abuse in the past year.
Time frame: 1 year after random assignment
Any psychological abuse
A binary variable equal to 1 if the mother indicates that a romantic partner has subjected her to psychological abuse in the past year.
Time frame: 30 months after random assignment
Any physical abuse
A binary variable equal to 1 if the mother indicates that a romantic partner has pushed, shoved, kicked, punched or beaten her up in the past year.
Time frame: 1 year after random assignment
Any physical abuse
A binary variable equal to 1 if the mother indicates that a romantic partner has pushed, shoved, kicked, punched or beaten her up in the past year.
Time frame: 30 months after random assignment
Had an unintended pregnancy since program enrollment
A binary variable equal to 1 if the mother reported having had an unintended pregnancy since random assignment.
Time frame: 1 year after random assignment
Had an unintended pregnancy since program enrollment
A binary variable equal to 1 if the mother reported having had an unintended pregnancy since random assignment.
Time frame: 30 months after random assignment
Quality of co-parenting relationship with baby's father
Ten-item scale (ranges from 0 to 10)
Time frame: 1 year after random assignment
Quality of co-parenting relationship with baby's father
Ten-item scale (ranges from 0 to 10)
Time frame: 30 months after random assignment
Depressive symptoms
Eight-item scale (ranges from 0 to 24; based on PHQ-8)
Time frame: 1 year after random assignment
Depressive symptoms
Eight-item scale (ranges from 0 to 24; based on PHQ-8)
Time frame: 30 months after random assignment
Number of relationship transitions
This is a continuous variable representing the number of relationship transitions the mother reported since random assignment. A relationship transition occurs each time a romantic relationship begins or ends.
Time frame: 30 months after random assignment
Material hardship
This continuous variable ranges from 0 to 6 and reflects how many of six possible things a mother had done in the past year because she did not have enough money.
Time frame: 30 months after random assignment
Child social-emotional and behavioral problems
This 31-item scale is a measure of the child's social-emotional and behavioral problems with higher scores indicating more problems.
Time frame: 30 months after random assignment
Child social-emotional abilities
This 11-item scale is a measure of the child's social-emotional abilities-such as empathy, prosocial behaviors, and compliance-with higher scores indicating higher competence.
Time frame: 30 months after random assignment
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