The Validation of Assessment Tools to Pilot Test the Family Support 360 Model with Marine Corps Families with Children with Special Needs

Background and Purpose: Military families with children who have developmental disabilities face unique challenges in adapting to the demands of military service. Each military service branch operates an Exceptional Family Member Program to assist with family members who have special needs. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill recently received funding from the Administration on Developmental Disabilities of the Administration for Children and Families to pilot test its evidence-based Family Support 360 model with Marine Corps (MC) families at Camp Lejeune, NC. Enrollment for families began in April 2010. The pilot test places special emphasis on assessment, which is the first step in the evidence-based practice planning sequence. Both Marines and their spouses, if married, are asked to complete an online support and resiliency tool, which is in use across the MC: the Unit Assets Inventory (UAI) for Marines and the Spouse Assets Inventory (SAI) for civilian spouses. Participants are asked to complete the assessment at the time of enrollment and when they finish the program or before they relocate to another base location or leave the military.

This presentation has two foci. First, we will describe the application of the Family Support 360 model to the target MC families, including the context for this investigation. Second, we will provide an overview of the UAI and the SAI as assessment tools for use in conjunction with this initiative. In particular, we will describe the structure and psychometric properties of these tools with data collected earlier from a cross section of Marines and spouses from across the MC. The findings are discussed in the context of the dynamic nature of testing and refining assessment tools to inform and monitor practice.

Methods: Analyses were based on a nonprobability sample of 15,282 Marines and 3,019 civilian spouses of Marines across 13 MC locations between February 2009 and January 2010. The analytic process included three steps in the context of the 19 dimensions on the UAI and the 20 dimensions of the SAI: (a) a descriptive analysis, (b) an internal consistency analysis of the component items on each dimension, and (c) a three-step construct validity procedure.

Results: The results supported both the internal consistency reliability and the construct validity of the assessment tools. Reliability coefficients were in the .80 and .90 range, and the Pearson correlation coefficients between support and resiliency dimensions theorized in the logic model manifested themselves in the data. As expected, compared to their counterparts, Marines and civilian spouses in families with children with special needs reported consistently lower support and resiliency.

Conclusions and Implications: The results support the efficacy of the UAI and the SAI as assessment tools to inform the design, implementation, and evaluation of interventions consistent with the Family Support 360 model. Recommendations are offered for potential assessment tools for children with special needs in these families.