Domestic violence prevention effectiveness in the United States Air Force

Abstract

In 2000, the Department of Defense task force estimated roughly 8.8 in every 1,000 military children were victims of some form of maltreatment. In response to the rising incidence of child maltreatment in the military the United Stated Air Force, in accordance with the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act of 1974, developed the New Parent Support Program (NPSP). The NPSP is a primary maltreatment prevention program for military or dependent parents who have children under the age of three. The formal goals of the program are to decrease potential for family maltreatment, enhance parent role adaptation, increase problem-solving skills and increase knowledge of child growth and development. Literature has indicated that parental stress is a viable indicator of the potential for child maltreatment. The NPSP uses two quantitative instruments sensitive to parental stress levels, the Family Needs Screener and Parenting Stress Index, to indicate the progress of NPSP participants. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the success of the NPSP at decreasing the potential for maltreatment. Through secondary data analysis, the study examined pre- and post test scores on the PSI for participants in orderto assess whether parental competence, attachment and role restriction scores improved after completion of the program. The study also examined the scoring for any occurrence of racial or rank disparities. The results of the secondary data analysis showed no significant improvement in overall PSI, parental competence, role restriction scores or attachment scores. The study found racial or rank differences in the FNS scores even though the majority of participants were Caucasian, low ranking, enlisted personnel. The study did not find racial or rank differences in PSI scores. The study results suggest, based on PSI scores, the NPSP does not significantly lower the parental stress, thus lowering the potential for maltreatment. According to the literature, which confirms prevention methods such as home visitation and parent education have been successful in other prevention programs, the NPSP should have the potential to be an effective prevention. Additional research and outcome analysis is necessary to determine which aspects of the program are ineffective and require modification.