Tell Me A Story: Promoting resiliency in military children with a bibliotherapy intervention.

PURPOSE: Research demonstrates the complex effect of the military lifestyle on children of military members. Problem behaviors can manifest in military children as young as 6 years old (eg, physical violence). Some military children have better outcomes (ie, resiliency). These differences in outcomes are not fully understood; literature agrees that parent's interaction with their children predicts resiliency. Nurses can utilize resiliency interventions to improve the health and wellbeing of families. Tell Me A Story (TMAS), a bibliotherapy intervention, role models for parents reading with their children, using story as a platform to deal with issues in a safe way. The purpose of this pilot study was to determine if child resiliency increased and problem behavior decreased with TMAS participation.

DESIGN AND METHODS: A community-based study examined the impact of TMAS intervention on parent's perceptions of their school-aged children's behavior. Participants were active-duty military parents, recruited on or near seven military installations in the continental United States.

RESULTS: Child problem behavior showed a change from baseline, with sex and parental deployment factoring for improved or worsening behavior among children. Total and internalizing problem behavior scores increased after intervention if a parent was deployed. Girls experienced increased resiliency scores after TMAS intervention while boys experienced decreased scores.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Overall, TMAS intervention is beneficial for behavior and resiliency for some children and provides research for future programming offered by nurses for military families.