Supporting Military Family Resilience at the Transition to Parenthood: A Randomized Pilot Trial of an Online Version of Family Foundations

• Published date: 01 February 2020
• Author: Mark E. Feinberg,Jesse Boring,Yunying Le,Michelle L. Hostetler,Jennifer Karre,Jamie Irvin,Damon E. Jones
• Date: 01 February 2020
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12415

M E. F Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center, Pennsylvania State

University

J B SUNY Broome Community College

Y L Human Development and Family Studies, Pennsylvania State University

M L. H Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center, Pennsylvania State

University

J K  J I Clearinghouse for Military Family Readiness,Pennsylvania

State University

D E. J Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center, Pennsylvania State

University

Supporting Military Family Resilience at the

Transition to Parenthood: A Randomized Pilot Trial

of an Online Version of Family Foundations

Objective: This article examines whether fam-

ily resilience can be enhanced among military

families via an online prevention program for

military couples at the transition to parenthood.

Background: Military families experience nor-

mative stressors similar to those of civilian fam-

ilies, as well as military-specic stressors, such

as deployment, frequent moves, and uncertainty.

Method: Participants were 56 heterosexual

couples who, at the time of recruitment, were

expecting their rst child and were living

together (regardless of marital status). Moth-

ers and fathers completed measures online:

Pretest was administered upon recruitment dur-

ing pregnancy, and posttest was administered at

Prevention Research Center,310 Biobehavioral Health, Uni-

versity Park, PA16802 (mef11@psu.edu).

Key Words: coparenting, family systems, infant well-being,

military families, prevention.

6 months postpartum. After pretest, couples were

randomized to control and intervention condi-

tions; intervention couples were providedaccess

to the online version of Family Foundations.

Results: Although outcomes require replication

given the sample size and issues with attrition,

results indicated signicant program impact,

with moderate to strong effect sizes, on parent

depression, mothers’ report of coparenting sup-

port, and infant mood and soothability.

Conclusion: These results suggest online deliv-

ery 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.

Military families encounter stressors and chal-

lenges that are common to all families, as

Family Relations 69 (February 2020): 109–124 109

DOI:10.1111/fare.12415

110 Family Relations

well as stressors that are unique to the mili-

tary context, including frequent relocations,

long duty-related separations, employment

challenges for military spouses, and soldier

morbidity and mortality associated with combat

exposure (Booth, Segal, & Bell, 2007; Castro,

2006; Drummet, Coleman, & Cable, 2003;

Harrell, Lim, Castaneda, & Golinelli, 2004).

Moreover, military family–related stressors take

many forms. Separations can involve temporary

duty in other locations within the United States,

combat deployment, humanitarian deployment,

or other types of missions. Separation length and

conditions can vary greatly based on operational

need and an individual’s military occupation.

Furthermore, service members who are in the

National Guard and reserves are often geograph-

ically separated from other military families and

frequently do not have close access to a military

installation and the supports and resources

found on bases. As in the civilian population,

many military families navigate stressors suc-

cessfully (Easterbrooks, Ginsburg, & Lerner,

2013). However, for some, these stressors con-

tribute to parent mental health and substance use

problems, family discord and violence, compro-

mised parenting quality, and child mental health

and behavior problems (Cozza et al., 2018; Vest,

Heavey, Homish, & Homish, 2018).

Given the increased level of stressors faced

by military families, advocates and the military

have called for the developmentof tools and pro-

grams to support the resilience of military fam-

ilies (Department of Defense, 2017; Gewirtz,

Pinna, Hanson, & Brockberg, 2014; Julian et al.,

2018; Lester et al., 2011). Because many mili-

tary recruits are young adults and the military

provides supports such as health insurance and

other benets that facilitate childrearing, many

service members begin families during their ser-

vice. According to data from close to the time

when this study was implemented, 42% of active

duty and reserve service members have chil-

dren; almost a quarter of children in active duty

families are age 2 or younger (Department of

Defense, 2015). Thus, developing effective sup-

ports for military families around family for-

mation and early childrearing may represent a

key strategy for enhancing the overall adjust-

ment, well-being, and mission readiness of ser-

vice members and their families.

In this context, readiness is dened as “the

ability of military forces to ght and meet the

demands of assigned missions” (Ofce of the

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, 2019). It

comprises multiple dimensions, including unit

readiness, operational readiness, medical readi-

ness, and family readiness. Family readiness is

dened as “The state of being prepared to effec-

tively navigate the challenges of daily living

experienced in the unique context of military

service” (Department of Defense, 2017, p. 31).

Family readiness contributes to overall readiness

by enabling service members to focus on their

mission with fewer worries about their families

back home (Carter et al., 2015; Durham, 2010)

and by improving retention (Heilmann, Bell, &

McDonald, 2009).

This article examines whether family

readiness—a form of resilience—can be

enhanced among military families via an online

prevention program for military couples at the

transition to parenthood. The online program

was based on an evidence-based group-format

program, Family Foundations (FF), which has

demonstrated positive outcomes in previous

research with civilian families (Feinberg, Jones,

Hostetler, et al., 2016; Feinberg, Jones, Kan, &

Goslin, 2010). FF was designed to support cou-

ples at the transition to parenthood—a period of

heightened stress for military and civilian cou-

ples alike—by enhancing coparenting support

and cohesion. Given the small sample size and

attrition issues, we consider this a preliminary

but important test of the intervention.

M F  F F

Given the combination of normative and unique

stressors among military families, it is important

to identify the malleable factors that contribute

to resilience to such stressors. As in civilian

families, predictors of child maltreatment in

military families include individual parent fac-

tors, such as parental stress and depression, and

relational factors such as family conict and

low couple relationship satisfaction (Schaeffer,

Alexander, Bethke, & Kretz, 2005). A similar

set of factors seems to enhance military family

resilience when a parent is deployed, which is

a dening experience for many military fam-

ilies (Cozza, Chun, & Polo, 2005; Houston,

2009; Huebner & Mancini, 2005; Warner,2009;

Wiens & Boss, 2006). A review of the existing

research concluded that deployment of a par-

ent away from home is linked with mood and

behavior problems among children (Sheppard,

Malatras, & Israel, 2010). However, family