Parental efficacy after a military parenting program: A dyadic latent growth model
Research Report:
Research SummaryAPA Citation:
Cai, Q., Basha, S., & Gewirtz, A. H. (2023). Parental efficacy after a military parenting program: A dyadic latent growth model. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 49(4), 958-978. https://doi.org/10.1111/jmft.12671
Abstract Created by REACH:
Beliefs about one’s ability to be a successful parent is known as parental efficacy. Parenting interventions, such as the After Deployment, Adaptive Parenting Tools (ADAPT) program, may improve parental efficacy. This study examined changes in parental efficacy between militaryaffiliated parents who received the ADAPT program (n = 162) and military-affiliated parents who only received a referral to parenting resources (i.e., control group; n = 109) over 2 years. The relationship between preprogram emotional distress (e.g., depressive symptoms) and changes in parental efficacy was also examined among ADAPT participants. Parents reported their parental efficacy at baseline and again at 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years later. Parents self-reported their emotional distress only at baseline. Overall, parents who received the program demonstrated growth in their parental efficacy over time with some variation based on levels of emotional distress at the start of the program.
Focus:
Parents
Children
Programming
Branch of Service:
Multiple branches
Military Affiliation:
Active Duty
Subject Affiliation:
Active duty service member
Child of a service member or veteran
Spouse of service member or veteran
Military families
Population:
Childhood (birth - 12 yrs)
Adolescence (13 - 17 yrs)
Adulthood (18 yrs & older)
Young adulthood (18 - 29 yrs)
Thirties (30 - 39 yrs)
Middle age (40 - 64 yrs)
Authors:
Cai, Qiyue, Basha, Sydni, Gewirtz, Abigail H.
Abstract:
Parental efficacy is an important aspect of parenting and a key outcome in many parenting programs. However, most studies focus on mothers, and less is known about the relationship between coparents' parental efficacy over time following intervention, and how parental distress can impact parental efficacy. The current study (N = 271 heterosexual couples; 162 intervention and 109 control) used a dyadic latent growth model to explore the dependence structure of parental efficacy between couples 2 years after assignment to a military parenting program, After Deployment, Adaptive Parenting Tools or a control condition. Results revealed a significant intervention effect, with both mothers and fathers in the intervention group exhibiting quadratic changes over 2 years, while the control group remained relatively stable. Notably, mothers' baseline emotional distress and fathers' deployment length emerged as predictors in understanding parental efficacy improvement over time. This research underscores the importance of adopting a family systems perspective and considering emotional distress and environmental stressors in designing targeted interventions to support military families and enhance overall well-being.
Publication Type:
Article
REACH Publication
Keywords:
deployment, dyadic latent growth model, emotional distress, military family, parental efficacy, parenting program
REACH Publication Type:
Research Summary
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