Publication year
2014
Citation Title
Effectiveness of a multimedia outreach kit for families of wounded veterans.
Journal Name
Disability and Health Journal
Journal Volume
7
Issue Number
2
Page Numbers
216-225
DOI
10.1016/j.dhjo.2013.11.004
Summary
An evaluation of a Sesame Workshop multimedia kit called: Talk, Listen, Connect: Changes (TLC-II©) was conducted. The kit, included video and print materials, aimed to help caregivers (i.e., at-home partner, at-home relative or family member of a current or discharged military member) assist young children as they adjusted to their parent's injury. Group outcomes were compared four weeks following receipt of the kits.
Key Findings
All materials were well used and highly rated by both test groups.
All caregivers reported less social isolation, less child aggression, and significantly less disruptive home environments after kit use.
Test group caregivers reported significantly greater reductions in depressive symptoms and significant increases in children’s social competence over time in comparison to the control group.
As a preventative intervention designed for families with an injured member, TLC-II© was particularly effective at improving coping.
Implications for Program Leaders
Diversify the use of materials like the TLC-II©, integrating them into early intervention processes as part of a full continuum of care for children
Provide tools that assist parents and promote their self-efficacy in caring for their child post-injury, while also providing engagement and information for children
Continue dedicating multimedia outreach materials to caregivers and children that help them cope with a family member’s life changing injury
Implications for Policy Makers
Extend policies that include support for injured parents’ children and other family members
Encourage awareness campaigns among military families and their support networks about the effects of injury on children and family members
Continue to support organizations that focus on military families and their young children’s development and well-being
Methods
Participants were recruited through flyers posted at or near Veterans Administration polytrauma centers, websites, and contacts made at military and Veteran events.
Test group families received the TLC-II©kit, which included trauma-informed content specific to having a Service member parent return with a wound or injury. Control group families received the Healthy Habits for Life kit, which focused on habits for healthy living.
Structured interviews of caregivers lasting 20-30 minutes were conducted.
Comparisons of caregiver and child outcomes between the test and control groups were conducted using t-tests for continuous variables and chi-squared tests for categorical variables.
Participants
The final sample comprised 153 caregivers, 75 in the test group and 78 in the control group.
Participants were caregivers of a child between the ages of 2 and 8 who did not have any special needs whose parent had suffered an injury during their most recent deployment.
Almost all of the recruited caregivers (93%) were married, 63% were younger than 35, and most were either White or Hispanic.
Eighty-three percent of the injured family members were on Active Duty with 63% in the Army and 27% in the Marine Corps and had been deployed between one and three times.
Limitations
The sample was drawn from one site; therefore, we cannot assume it was representative.
Analysis did not account for children’s demographics or perspective which could have effects on the outcomes (both short and long-term).
While the study employed a randomized design, data were collected only twice, and only four weeks apart. It is difficult to know what the longer term outcomes may be.
Avenues for Future Research
Include interviews with the injured parents’ or other family members’ perspectives on the child’s outcomes after the parent’s injury
Collect data on child outcomes to see what long-term affects the program may have
Examine program effects on injured parent-child relationships
Focus
Multiple Branches
Target Population
Population Focus
Military Component
Abstract
Background: Young children in military families with a member who has a life changing injury can experience emotional difficulties and behavior changes. Objective: This study evaluated a Sesame Workshop multimedia kit called: Talk, Listen, Connect: Changes (TLC-II(C); 2008). The kit, which included video and print materials, aimed to help caregivers (i.e., at-home partner, at-home relative or family member of a current or discharged military member) assist young children as they adjusted to their parent’s injury. We expected that the materials would be used and their quality evaluated. We hypothesized that use of the materials would produce improvements in caregiver and child outcomes as well as reductions in perceptions of disruption in the home. We also predicted that kit-use would have a positive impact on the family. Methods: One-hundred and fifty three families with children aged 2-8 years were randomly assigned to receive the kit being evaluated (TLC-II(C)) or a control kit (Healthy Habits for Life (HHL)), also developed by Sesame Workshop. Group outcomes were compared four weeks following receipt of the kits using multivariate analysis of variance. Results: All materials were well used and highly rated. All caregivers reported less social isolation, less child aggression, and significantly less disruptive home environments after kit use. Test group caregivers reported significantly greater reductions in depressive symptoms and significant increases in children’s social competence over time in comparison to the control group. Conclusions: These results signal important improvements among families as a consequence of using either test or control materials. As a preventative intervention designed for families with an injured member, TLC-II(C) was particularly effective at improving coping.
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