https://aub.ie/MilitaryREACH-Feinberg20

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.

https://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12415

Children
Couples
Mental health
Parents
Programming

Air Force
Army
Marine Corps
Navy
Multiple branches

Active Duty
Guard
Reserve

Active duty service member
Guard/Reserve member
Spouse of service member or veteran

Adulthood (18 yrs & older)
Young adulthood (18 - 29 yrs)
Thirties (30 - 39 yrs)

Longitudinal Study
Quantitative Study
Primary Data Analysis
Randomized Control Trial

Feinberg, Mark E., Boring, Jesse, Le, Yunying, Hostetler, Michelle L., Karre, Jennifer, Irvin, Jamie, Jones, Damon E.

Objective This article examines whether family resilience can be enhanced among military families via an online prevention program for military couples at the transition to parenthood. Background Military families experience normative stressors similar to those of civilian families, as well as military-specific stressors, such as deployment, frequent moves, and uncertainty. Method Participants were 56 heterosexual couples who, at the time of recruitment, were expecting their first child and were living together (regardless of marital status). Mothers and fathers completed measures online: Pretest was administered upon recruitment during pregnancy, and posttest was administered at 6 months postpartum. After pretest, couples were randomized to control and intervention conditions; intervention couples were provided access to the online version of Family Foundations. Results Although outcomes require replication given the sample size and issues with attrition, results indicated significant program impact, with moderate to strong effect sizes, on parent depression, mothers' report of coparenting support, and infant mood and soothability. Conclusion These results suggest online delivery of prevention programming is a potentially effective means of enhancing military family well-being—and thus resilience. Implications Low-cost and effective support for military families is possible via online modalities.

John Wiley & Sons

Article
REACH Publication

Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center, Pennsylvania State University, MEF
SUNY Broome Community College, JB
Human Development and Family Studies, Pennsylvania State University, YL
Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center, Pennsylvania State University, MLH
Clearinghouse for Military Family Readiness, Pennsylvania State University, JK
Clearinghouse for Military Family Readiness, Pennsylvania State University, JI
Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center, Pennsylvania State University, DEJ