A Trauma-Informed, Family-Centered, Virtual Home Visiting Program for Young Children: One-Year Outcomes

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Military and Veterans Affairs
• Child Development

Background:

• Military-connected families experience unique stressors, including deployment separations.
• These transitions can impact parental mental health, child behavior, and family dynamics.
• Preventive interventions are crucial for supporting family resilience during these challenging periods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of the Families OverComing Under Stress-Early Childhood (FOCUS-EC) intervention.
• To assess the benefits of a trauma-informed, family-centered program delivered via virtual telehealth.
• To examine the intervention's impact on parent psychological health, child behavior, parenting, and parent-child relationships.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial involving 194 mothers, 155 fathers, and 199 children from military-connected families.
• Participants were assigned to either the FOCUS-EC intervention or an online education control group.
• Data were collected through parent reports and observed interaction tasks for up to 12 months.

Main Results:

• Families receiving FOCUS-EC showed significantly greater improvements in child behavior (parent-reported and observed).
• Enhanced parenting practices and parent-child interactions were observed in the FOCUS-EC group.
• Participants in the FOCUS-EC group experienced greater reductions in parent posttraumatic stress symptoms.

Conclusions:

• The virtually-delivered FOCUS-EC intervention is effective in promoting resilience and well-being for military-connected families.
• Telehealth delivery is a viable and beneficial method for providing preventive support to these populations.
• Findings support the use of trauma-informed, family-centered interventions for military families facing life transitions.