Adaptation of a Trauma-Focused Parenting Intervention for Military-Connected Mothers and Their Young Children: A Rapid Qualitative Study.
7 affiliations
- 1Silver School of Social Work, New York University, New York, New York, USA.
- 2Graduate School of Arts and Science, New York University, New York, New York, USA.
- 3CAARE Diagnostic & Treatment Center, Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Sacramento, California, USA.
- 4STAIR Institute, New York, New York, USA.
- 5School of Social Work, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
- 6Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA.
- 7Cohen Veterans Network Institute for Quality, Stamford, Connecticut, USA.
Abstract
Adapting evidence-based interventions (EBIs) to be sensitive to populations who have experienced trauma has been shown to improve engagement, retention, satisfaction, and effectiveness. Compared to civilian mothers, military-connected mothers (MCM)-including service members, veterans, or their partners-face greater exposure to trauma across the life course, leading to mental health and parenting challenges. These may adversely affect their children's mental health and perpetuate generational trauma. EBIs aligned with people's life experiences and cultural backgrounds are critical to supporting the mental wellbeing and parental functioning of MCM. Informed by the Framework for Reporting Adaptations and Modifications-Enhanced and utilizing rapid qualitative analysis-a rigorous method for quickly identifying key interview themes-this paper describes the process of adapting an innovative EBI, Parenting-STAIR (P-STAIR), which targets maternal trauma, emotion regulation, and parenting. Transcripts from interviews with administrators, clinicians, and MCM at clinics serving military families were systematically summarized, organized into matrices, and analyzed. Four emergent themes informed adaptations to P-STAIR: (a) streamlined treatment and enhanced engagement, (b) flexibility and responsiveness, (c) mental health stigma reduction, and (d) military cultural relevance. Considering these priorities, which were expressed across participant groups, P-STAIR was shortened from 23 sessions to a brief, modular 12-16-session intervention that can be personalized to individual needs and uses approachable language (e.g., distress vs. trauma), which aims to reduce the impact of stigma on engagement and retention. A standalone guide was developed to accompany the intervention manual, which may help clinicians better understand the unique experiences of military families. The outcome of this process, PSTAIR-M, is a briefer, modular intervention we anticipate will be suitable for delivery to MCM.
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BibTeX
@article{sullivan2026adaptation,
title = {{Adaptation of a Trauma-Focused Parenting Intervention for Military-Connected Mothers and Their Young Children: A Rapid Qualitative Study.}},
author = {Kathrine S Sullivan and Gina M Angelotti and Seonyeong Kim and Whitney K Wortham and Fan Zhang and Stephanie Campos and Damaris Banegas and Michael A Lindsey and Susan G Timmer and Marylene Cloitre and Christie Jackson and James Jaccard and Melissa E Smith and Alison B Hamilton and David J Linkh and Steven L Lancaster},
journal = {Family process},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1111/famp.70209},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42897917},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Adaptation of a Trauma-Focused Parenting Intervention for Military-Connected Mothers and Their Young Children: A Rapid Qualitative Study.
AU - Kathrine S Sullivan
AU - Gina M Angelotti
AU - Seonyeong Kim
AU - Whitney K Wortham
AU - Fan Zhang
AU - Stephanie Campos
AU - Damaris Banegas
AU - Michael A Lindsey
AU - Susan G Timmer
AU - Marylene Cloitre
AU - Christie Jackson
AU - James Jaccard
AU - Melissa E Smith
AU - Alison B Hamilton
AU - David J Linkh
AU - Steven L Lancaster
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/30
JO - Family process
DO - 10.1111/famp.70209
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42897917
AB - Adapting evidence-based interventions (EBIs) to be sensitive to populations who have experienced trauma has been shown to improve engagement, retention, satisfaction, and effectiveness. Compared to civilian mothers, military-connected mothers (MCM)-including service members, veterans, or their partners-face greater exposure to trauma across the life course, leading to mental health and parenting challenges. These may adversely affect their children's mental health and perpetuate generational trauma. EBIs aligned with people's life experiences and cultural backgrounds are critical to supporting the mental wellbeing and parental functioning of MCM. Informed by the Framework for Reporting Adaptations and Modifications-Enhanced and utilizing rapid qualitative analysis-a rigorous method for quickly identifying key interview themes-this paper describes the process of adapting an innovative EBI, Parenting-STAIR (P-STAIR), which targets maternal trauma, emotion regulation, and parenting. Transcripts from interviews with administrators, clinicians, and MCM at clinics serving military families were systematically summarized, organized into matrices, and analyzed. Four emergent themes informed adaptations to P-STAIR: (a) streamlined treatment and enhanced engagement, (b) flexibility and responsiveness, (c) mental health stigma reduction, and (d) military cultural relevance. Considering these priorities, which were expressed across participant groups, P-STAIR was shortened from 23 sessions to a brief, modular 12-16-session intervention that can be personalized to individual needs and uses approachable language (e.g., distress vs. trauma), which aims to reduce the impact of stigma on engagement and retention. A standalone guide was developed to accompany the intervention manual, which may help clinicians better understand the unique experiences of military families. The outcome of this process, PSTAIR-M, is a briefer, modular intervention we anticipate will be suitable for delivery to MCM.
SN - 0014-7370
SN - 1545-5300
ER -