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AbstractParents influence their child’s positive development, and this is especially true during early childhood. In military families, the largest percentage of children are between 0 and 5 years old, and there is growing interest in developing and disseminating parent-focused interventions that target this age range for military parents. The present study examines the feasibility and proof-of-concept of the universal, web-based, Take Root parenting program, which was designed to empower military and civilian parents with a 0- to 3-year-old child in their parenting role and support positive child development. Seventy-nine participants were recruited from two Armed Services YMCA locations in fall 2019 and summer 2020. Results indicate that executing the research protocol and implementing the program among military families with young children were feasible. Further, significant pre- to post-changes in self-reports of parenting efficacy, mindful relaxation, and family functioning were found; however, when a Bonferroni-Holm correction was applied to account for multiple testing, only parenting efficacy remained significant. Collectively, the favorable results indicate the potential usefulness of Take Root for military families with young children and support the need for further, more rigorous evaluations of the program.

AbstractPromoting military child well-being is imperative for enhancing resiliency and public health within military families and the United States. Providing military families with parent-focused interventions (PFIs) is one, potentially beneficial technique for fostering favorable health outcomes in military children. This study presents implementation feasibility, fidelity, and initial post-program findings from a pilot study of Grow, a PFI that enhances positive parenting, stress management, and physical health promotion skills in military parents of children 5- to 10-year-old. Results indicate that Grow is highly acceptable, feasible to implement with fidelity, and shows promising post-program health outcomes. Study limitations and future directions are discussed.

ABSTRACTEmpirical studies have consistently demonstrated that military personnel underuse mental health services. Stigma associated with seeking and receiving treatment has been hypothesized to play a significant role in failure to access potentially helpful services and supports. The authors reviewed peer-reviewed articles published from June 2000 to June 2015 and examined how stigmatizing attitudes, attributions, and beliefs about mental health conditions, mental health treatment, and seeking help influence help seeking and service utilization for different military personnel subgroups. The authors highlight patterns and inconsistencies identified in the literature and provide recommendations for future research and clinical practice.

abstractEvidence-based practice (EBP) improves health and well-being by providing current scientific evidence in treating a wide range of military family challenges. However, there are a number of real and perceived barriers to the adoption of this practice. To help reduce barriers, the Department of Defense partnered with the National Institute of Food and Agriculture to fund the development of the Clearinghouse for Military Family Readiness at the Pennsylvania State University. The Clearinghouse provides a growing web-based repository of information on more than 900 programs and practices that can be used by military personnel and their families. These programs have been closely vetted by a team of research and evaluation scientists and placed on a continuum of evidence, indicating the level of empirical support for each program (i.e., Effective, Promising, Unclear, and Ineffective). The Clearinghouse also provides live technical assistance to advise social service professionals working with military families on the adoption, implementation, and evaluation of evidence-based programs and practices. In this article we describe how military and civilian social service practitioners can benefit from partnering with the Clearinghouse.