Enhancing acceptability, relevance, and efficacy of social work intervention:Findings from a community-based participatory approach

Introduction: The US has engaged in numerous overseas conflicts resulting in the deployment of over two million service members.  In addition to the stress of deployment separation, service members must navigate the reintegration process which often presents a new set of challenges for the service member and family.  Although a number of reintegration programs have been developed and piloted with military families, little is known about the utility and acceptability of these programs to the families themselves. 

Methods: In this paper, we present findings from a recently completed randomized clinical trial (N=115) of a reintegration program designed with and for National Guard/Reserve military families with very young children (birth to 5) conducted exclusively by social workers.  At the conclusion of the program, participants were asked about motivations to participate, experiences with the program, and suggestions for program improvement. Interviews were transcribed verbatim, coded using Atlas.ti and analyzed using thematic analysis. 

 

Results: Salient themes related to logistics of program service delivery, personalization of program content, and a non-pathological approach to program orientation were revealed.  Participants described improvements in couple-communication and heightened awareness of their children’s experiences of deployment separation.  Recommendations included that the intervention begin prior to deployment and continue throughout the deployment cycle, and be adapted for families with older children and the Active Duty component.

Conclusion: Community-based participatory approaches to program development and service delivery can increase the acceptability, utility, and ecologically validity of interventions designed for vulnerable populations.  Next steps in the intervention development process will be discussed.