Resident Physician US Navy Jacksonville, North Carolina, United States
Background: Military connected children and adolescents are at increased risk of serious early life stressors, including frequent moves, parental absence, and parental mental health and physical injuries. Despite efforts to increase the use of mental healthcare resources, significant stigma against seeking help continues to exist. Efforts have included early intervention programs like Military OneSource (MOS) and Military Family Life Counseling (MFLC), created to provide care specifically to the military community. Objective: To determine if an education intervention designed to increase provider knowledge of military life stress, early-life trauma, and the benefits of early intervention counseling, would increase knowledge of, and referral to, MOS and MFLC services. Design/Methods: We developed four educational modules with information on military-related risk, the biology of stress and trauma, trauma informed care, and family systems and the CARE model, as well as pre-and post-assessments for each session. We plan to evaluate for a change in the total amount of referrals for children and adolescents to MFLC and MOS in cooperation with the programs’ respective intake lines. The study has received approval from the appropriate IRBs. Our research team will use Chi-squared analyses and Wilcoxon rank sum tests to assess for differences in pre- and post-assessment of comfort, knowledge and referral to MOS and MFLC. Joinpoint software (developed by NIH) will be used to assess any change in trend of referral over time. The first two modules have already been delivered to audiences of 25-40 clinicians and staff members from both Family Practice and Pediatrics.
