Staying Strong with Schools: Testing an Elementary School-Based Intervention for Military-Connected Children

Area of Science:

• Child and Adolescent Psychology
• Educational Psychology
• Military and Veteran Family Studies

Background:

• Military-connected children (MCC) face unique behavioral health challenges during parental deployment and reintegration.
• Existing interventions may not adequately address the psychosocial needs of MCC in school settings.
• A low-cost, low-burden school-based approach is needed to support these children.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of the Staying Strong With Schools (SSWS) intervention for MCC.
• To determine if SSWS improves behavioral and emotional functioning, social support, and mental health symptoms in MCC.
• To assess the impact of SSWS in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) setting.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 10 civilian elementary schools.
• Schools were randomized to either the SSWS intervention or a waitlist control group receiving an educational pamphlet.
• 56 MCC were assessed on behavioral/emotional functioning, social support, and mental health symptoms throughout the school year.

Main Results:

• Parents in SSWS schools reported significantly less internalizing behavior in their children compared to the control group.
• No significant differences were found in parent-reported externalizing behaviors between groups.
• Children in SSWS schools reported significantly greater perceived social support than those in control schools.

Conclusions:

• The SSWS intervention shows potential efficacy in supporting the behavioral and emotional well-being of military-connected children in civilian elementary schools.
• SSWS may be a valuable tool for enhancing social connection and psychosocial functioning in MCC.
• Further large-scale research is warranted to confirm the efficacy and facilitate broader implementation of SSWS.