Publication year
2015
Citation Title
Changing the personal narrative: A pilot study of a resiliency intervention for military spouses
Journal Name
Contemporary Family Therapy
Journal Volume
37
Issue Number
3
Page Numbers
221-231
DOI
10.1007/s10591-015-9336-8
Summary
In this study, military spouses participated in the HomeFront Strong program, an eight week group-based resiliency intervention. The study's purpose was to assess participants' perceptions of deployment and depressive symptoms after participation in HomeFront Strong. At three-month follow up, spouses showed significant change in how they perceived deployments, impacting their overall well-being.
Key Findings
Prior to program participation, higher depressive symptoms were present in spouses who perceived deployment negatively.
Participants who perceived deployment positively reported greater life satisfaction at three-month follow up.
After participation in HomeFront Strong, spouses reported feeling supported and less overwhelmed during deployment.
Implications for Program Leaders
Provide evidence-based resiliency workshops for military spouses and their families
Offer education for spouses regarding self-awareness and stress relief at all phases of military life
Develop workshops for military spouses and families that are embedded in the community
Implications for Policy Makers
Continue to support evidenced-based resiliency workshops for military spouses and their families
Encourage community-based programs to develop workshops for families that do not live near a military installation
Encourage further research to be conducted to test evidenced-based resiliency interventions
Methods
Recruitment of spouses involved advertising HomeFront Strong to civilian and military partnerships.
The study was conducted over the course of eight weeks with a three-month follow up assessment.
Spouses completed surveys and semi-structured interviews assessing depressive symptoms and deployment experiences.
Analyses included a thematic analysis and a comparison of participants’ symptoms of depressions from pre-intervention to three-month follow-up.
Participants
The study consisted of 14 female military spouses who completed both the pre and three-month follow-up program assessments; 25% retention rate in program follow-up.
Spouses ranged in age from 22 to 50 years, with eight under the age of 30 years.
Twelve participants were White, one Black, and one who was multi-ethnic.
Spouses’ military affiliation included National Guard (n=7), Reserves (n=2), Active Duty (n=1), and Veteran (n=4).
Limitations
This study lacks a comparison group, limiting the ability to determine if the results would be similar in another sample of military spouses.
The sample is small and homogenous, raising concerns about the generalizability of the findings.
The study had a 25% retention rate, thus, limiting the ability to determine intervention effectiveness at post-assessment among those who only completed the initial assessment.
Avenues for Future Research
Explore the long-term impact of the HomeFront Strong program
Examine the effectiveness of HomeFront Strong with a larger, more diverse sample
Continue the intervention and assessment over all stages of the deployment cycle to assess depressive symptoms and deployment experience over time
Focus
Multiple Branches
Target Population
Population Focus
Military Branch
Military Component
Abstract
The more than decade long tempo of war has taken a considerable toll on military families, with the rates of mental health concerns in non-deployed spouses on the rise. To date, few evidence-based programs exist to meet the unique needs of military spouses. The current study presents early findings from the development and implementation of HomeFront Strong (HFS), an 8 week group-based resiliency intervention designed to support military spouses through deployment transitions. In three group cohorts, 20 women completed the HFS intervention, and 14 of those participants provided evaluation data at the pre-group and 3 month follow up (3MFU) assessments, including a semi-structured interview designed to elicit a personal narrative about deployment experiences. Thematic analyses of the personal narratives demonstrated that negative cognitions (e.g., helplessness; feeling unsupported) about deployment were associated with higher rates of depression prior to group participation. At 3MFU, personal narratives included more positive cognitions and fewer negative cognitions, suggesting that HFS changed the way spouses thought about their deployment experiences. Moreover, participants reported fewer symptoms of depression, higher levels of social support, and greater life satisfaction at 3MFU. While this Phase I study is small and lacks a comparison group, the demonstration of positive results is promising and warrants further attention.
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