Behavioral & Community Health Theses and Dissertations
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/2802
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Item Exploring Predictors of Military Spouses’ Comfort Seeking Military-Provided Counseling Services(2017) Brown, Christye Yvonne; Beck, Kenneth; Zanjani, Faika; Public and Community Health; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Over 1.2 million (approximately half) of the service members deployed in support of the Global War on Terror were married at the time of their last deployment (Department of Defense, 2013). Data from the study of military and veteran families suggests that both stress and the process of coping with or overcoming exposure to adversity or stress resonate across the family system (Meredith L. S., et al., 2011), and that the impact of war and its consequences are experienced by partners and families in addition to service members (Lester, Blair, Saltzman, & Klosinski, 2013). The purpose of this study was to determine predictors of spouses' comfort in seeking military-provided counseling services when service members are deployed, by examining spousal coping behaviors, mental health status, and social support and demographics (rank and gender), as reported from the 2012 Active Duty Spouses Survey (ADSS). Analyzing survey data from 10,574 participants, we determined that 82.5% of the participants had spouses who were deployed for more than 30 consecutive days, and 64.3% of the participants felt comfortable using military-provided services for counseling. Statistically significant predictors of comfort-seeking, military-provided counseling services included positive coping behaviors, mental health status, social support, and the rank of the spouse’s partner. Spouses of officers were less likely to feel comfortable using military-provided services for counseling compared to spouses of enlisted service members. The level of psychological stress experienced by the spouses correlated with all predictors of comfort seeking, military-provided services for counseling. The results were consistent with previous studies on the predictors and outcomes of psychological stress among military spouses, and supported the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping. The results have practical significance because they will help planners tailor programs to optimize the uptake of counseling services for military spouses who are in need. We recommend that future research incorporate measures of the service members’ extended deployments in combat zones to determine if extended combat-related deployment predicts spouses’ comfort seeking military-provided services for counseling. Qualitative research may also be useful to provide more insight into why some military spouses feel comfortable using military-provided services for counseling while others do not.Item Parents' Stress and Coping with Their Children's Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder(2006-06-28) Mitchell, Mary Moser; Beck, Kenneth H; Public and Community Health; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)In a previous study, the National Institute of Mental Health enrolled 579 children diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in a randomized controlled trial to test the efficacy of a stimulant medication. ADHD affects 3-5% of children before age 7 and is characterized by difficulties in controlling impulsive and hyperactive behaviors and/or paying attention. Studies of children with ADHD indicate that the disorder can be extremely disruptive to family functioning. While the original NIMH study examined the children's outcomes, this investigation explored quality of life among the parents of these children. Quality of life was considered in terms of emotional well-being and social functioning. Various studies within the health psychology discipline have suggested that coping strategies, social support, and stress appraisal significantly influence and predict quality of life. It was hypothesized that stress appraisal, social support, coping skills, and symptom severity would predict quality of life indicators (i.e. spouse relationship, parent/child relationship, and psychological/emotional functioning) for parents. This main effects hypothesis was tested using baseline data and using longitudinal data, while controlling for baseline measures. The second set of hypotheses proposed that social support and coping skills would moderate the relationship between stress appraisal and quality of life. These relationships were tested using the baseline data as well as the longitudinal data, while controlling for baseline measures and a variety of covariates (i.e. demographic variables). In addition, the relationship between objective stressors and stress appraisal was tested, as well as the direct effects of objective stressors on the quality of life outcomes. A combination of structural equation modeling and multiple regression analyses were used to analyze the data. Stress appraisal was the most consistent and strongest predictor of quality of life outcomes for parents. Social support, coping, and symptom severity played significant, yet modest roles in prediction. Objective stressors significantly predicted stress appraisal as well as the quality of life indicators. These results indicated support for both the main effects and moderating hypotheses. Recommendations for health educators seeking to develop intervention programs for this population of parents were offered.