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. 2018 Jun;9(3):725-736.
doi: 10.1007/s12671-017-0810-2. Epub 2017 Sep 19.

Parent Engagement in Online Mindfulness Exercises Within a Parent Training Program for Post-Deployed Military Families

Na Zhang  1 , Jessie H Rudi  1 , Osnat Zamir  1 , Abigail H Gewirtz  1
Affiliations

Parent Engagement in Online Mindfulness Exercises Within a Parent Training Program for Post-Deployed Military Families

Na Zhang et al. Mindfulness (N Y). 2018 Jun.

Abstract

Mindfulness has drawn increased attention in prevention programs targeting parents. Commonly, mindfulness-based programs are provided to reduce parental stress and improve child outcomes. Less often, researchers incorporate a mindfulness-informed approach, integrating a low dose of mindfulness exercises into an existing evidence-based parent training model. Little is known about participant engagement with mindfulness exercises in such programs. This non-experimental study focuses on families who are at risk for impaired parenting due to the unique stressor of a parent's deployment to war. The goal is to examine military parents' online engagement in mindfulness exercises and associations between engagement and dispositional mindfulness within a web-enhanced parent training program. Online tracking records and self-reported data were obtained from 370 military parents (207 families) who were assigned to the program; at 6-month follow-up, 68.6% of these parents were retained (at least one parent reported from 75.4% of families). Results showed that nearly half (44.6%) of the parents engaged with the exercises. Participants who attended face-to-face group sessions (i.e., attendees) engaged throughout the intervention period whereas participants who never attended group sessions (i.e., non-attendees) mostly engaged during the first month in the program. Attendees and mothers engaged more than non-attendees and fathers. While engaged parents self-reported increased dispositional mindfulness at 6-month follow-up compared to baseline, only mothers' engagement accounted for a significant proportion of the variance (3%) in dispositional mindfulness at 6-month follow-up, after controlling for covariates. Implications for incorporating online mindfulness exercises into parent training are discussed in the context of programming for military families.

Keywords: military families; mindfulness; online; parenting; prevention.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
A CONSORT diagram of the ADAPT trial
Figure 2
Figure 2
Frequency of clicking on online supplemental mindfulness exercises per week in non-attendees (n = 99)
Figure 3
Figure 3
Frequency of clicking on online supplemental mindfulness exercises per week in attendees (n = 271)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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