The Development and Implementation of a Veteran Family Stress Screening Tool

Area of Science:

• Family Medicine
• Public Health
• Military Health

Background:

• Military and Veteran families encounter unique stressors, including deployment and mental health challenges.
• Existing research often overlooks the specific needs of Veteran families.
• A quality improvement initiative aimed to enhance the well-being of children in Veteran families.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and implement a screening tool for identifying needs within Veteran families.
• To establish a workflow for integrating the screening tool into the Veterans Health Administration.
• To connect Veterans and their families with timely and appropriate care referrals.

Main Methods:

• A screening tool was co-developed with stakeholders and refined after a pilot phase.
• The self-report screen collected demographic data and information on family relationships and perceived difficulties.
• Descriptive statistics were used to analyze data on demographics, relationship quality, and family needs.

Main Results:

• Veterans reported the highest level of relationship difficulties with their partners/spouses.
• A significant number of Veterans indicated their children (≤18 years) experienced learning, developmental, or behavioral/emotional issues.
• Over one-third of screened Veterans requested consultations or referrals, with half receiving them.

Conclusions:

• The screening tool and referral process effectively identified unmet needs in Veteran families.
• The initiative successfully bridged the gap between research and practice by connecting families to care.
• Implementation facilitated access to services that might have otherwise been missed.