The Military Spouse Resiliency Group (MSRG) Peer Support Program: Equipping Families for Resiliency with Tools (EFFRT)
Abstract
Active-duty military spouses undergo many stressors as part of their partners’ military service including extended separation, numerous moves, single parenting, relationship strains, and understanding their Service Member’s (SM’s) health concerns. They also may struggle to establish careers or finish educational degrees due to the unpredictable nature of military life. This study will evaluate how military spouses’ participation in curriculum-based, peer support group called the Military Spouse Resiliency Group (M-SRG) Program can help address these stressors and improve their quality of life by facilitating supportive discussions on topics relevant to spouses and by connecting them to relevant resources. This study addresses the Fiscal Year 2021 Traumatic Brain Injury and Psychological Health Research Program Translational Research Award Focus Area 1: supporting relationships and parenting, preparing families for potential secondary trauma exposure, and empowering families to access tailored support and resources. It will also address the contribution of pre- and post-injury patient, family, and caregiver education, as well as cultural, demographic, stigma, and bias factors that may relate to treatment seeking and adherence. Prior research has described the impact of military life on spouses and families, including the impact of deployment and reintegration on family members’ mental health, the impact of SM’ mental health symptoms on family relationships, caregiver stress, and the impact of military life and trauma-related psychological problems on the marriage. Symptoms exhibited by SMs with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) tend to weaken relationships with family members. This leads to alienation and sometimes disintegration of the relationships, further harming the SM by losing valuable social support. Despite these needs, there are no evidence-supported programs available to address families’ need for social support around the impacts of military service on the SM. Although some peer support and mental health programs are available through the Army, none offer a systematic, curriculum-based approach that has documented evidence of improving spouses quality of life, preventing mental health problems while educating them about the impacts of TBI and PTSD on SMs and their families. To learn whether the program is effective in helping spouses, the study will recruit Army spouses to participate in the Military Spouse Resiliency Group Program, a curriculum-based program that is led by trained military spouse peer leaders and incorporates aspects of Master Resiliency Training and includes topics on self-care, common mental health concerns, goal-setting around career and education, parenting and relationships, and managing the uncertainty to military life. Participants will be asked to complete study surveys at the beginning, end of program, and 3 and 6 months after the program to learn how they are faring and whether the program made a difference in their lives. It will compare the outcomes of those who participate initially with the outcomes of participants who are assigned to a waitlist group to understand whether the program led to outcomes that include military spouses’ mental health, quality of life, self-care practices, social support, and knowledge about and confidence in supporting SM’ access to health care. This study will require 3 years to complete; at that time study results will be available and be widely disseminated to military leaders, program providers, and the public. If results are favorable, this program may become available in many Army locations to provide support for military spouses as they undergo many stressors throughout their lives in support of their families and SMs’ military careers.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Dec 28, 2022
- Source ID
- W81XWH2211050
Entities
People
- Elisa V. Borah
Organizations
- United States Army
- University of Texas at Austin