National Guard and Reserve Families: A Parent-Led Educational Intervention

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an educational module on improving parent's ability to identify National Guard and Reserve children at-risk for mental health abnormities.

A pre-post study design was used. The sample consisted of 51 National Guard and Reserve parents. Participants were recruited online from a Military Ministry Network, email list servs, and social media. Baseline data was collected on the preintervention survey. The educational module included signs/symptoms of abnormal mental health in children and the Pediatric Symptom Checklist 35. Postintervention data collection included the same data collected at baseline except demographics.

The intervention increased parents' confidence and knowledge but failed to change the types of services parents used to access care. All children were at low-risk.

Parent-led education about mental health disorders, symptoms, causes, and treatments is an important first step in helping families take charge of treatment and management.