Supporting military family resilience at the transition to parenthood: A randomized pilot trial of an online version of family foundations

Feinberg, M. E., Boring, J., Le, Y., Hostetler, M. L., Karre, J., Irvin, J., & Jones, D. E. (2020). Supporting military family resilience at the transition to parenthood: A randomized pilot trial of an online version of family foundations. Family Relations, 69, 109-124. https://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12415

Supporting military families through transitions and stressors is crucial for protecting family well-being and mission readiness. The transition to parenthood is especially important due to the impact that becoming a parent can have on individual and couple well-being. As such, several programs have been developed to assist families through this transition. However, busy military families and those geographically removed from military bases and resources (e.g., National Guard families) may have difficulty accessing these programs. Therefore, Family Foundations, a program designed to support couples during the transition to parenthood that includes both prenatal (i.e., prior to the birth of the child) and postnatal (i.e., after the birth of the child) modules, was adapted to an online format to improve accessibility. This study conducted a randomized control trial to pilot the efficacy of this online program to improve parent (e.g., depression) and infant (e.g., soothability) outcomes with a sample of 56 couples. The results indicated that the program may bolster parent and child well-being, but more research is needed.

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