An Evaluation of the "Treatment Group Model for Abused Women" in Shelters in Hong Kong

An Evaluation of the "Treatment Group Model for Abused Women" in Shelters in Hong Kong

This is cluster randomized control trial, that aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment group model for abused women in enhancing their self-esteem and reducing the level of depression, in three shelters for abused women of Po Leung Kuk (a social service organization in Hong Kong). It is hypothesized that subjects in the Treatment Group would report significant improvement in self-esteem, social support, quality of life; reduction in the level of depression, symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder at 3 months after service delivery.

This is cluster randomized control trial, that aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment group model for abused women in enhancing their self-esteem and reducing the level of depression, in three shelters for abused women of Po Leung Kuk (a social service organization in Hong Kong). 50-60 abused women are recruited as treatment group from two randomized shelters of Po Leung Kuk (Shelters A and B), where subjects receive self-esteem enhancement group intervention for abused women. Another 50-60 abused women are recruited as the control group from a randomized shelter of Po Leung Kuk (Shelter C), where subject receive standard shelter services for abused women. It is hypothesized that subjects in the Treatment Group would report significant improvement in self-esteem, social support, quality of life; reduction in the level of depression, symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder at 3 months after service delivery, are compared to those in the control group.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Abused women of family violence aged 18 or older
• Receiving services from shelters of Po Leung Kuk

Exclusion Criteria:

• Unable to communicate (possible reasons: dialects used by targets but not understandable by interviewers; mentally challenged)
• Unable to give consent to participate in the study