%0 Journal Article
%T Improving Child Peer Adjustment in Military Families Through Parent Training: The Mediational Role of Parental Locus of Control
%A Abigail Gewirtz
%A Kadie Ausherbauer
%A Kate Gliske
%A Timothy F. Piehler
%J The Journal of Early Adolescence
%@ 1552-5449
%D 2018
%R 10.1177/0272431616678990
%X The present study investigated the mechanisms through which a parenting intervention for military families fosters positive peer adjustment in children. A sample of 336 families with a history of parental deployment enrolled in a randomized controlled trial of the After Deployment Adaptive Parenting Tools (ADAPT) preventive intervention. ADAPT is a 14-week preventive intervention designed to strengthen parenting in military families. The intervention was associated with improvements in motherĄ¯s and fatherĄ¯s parental locus of control (i.e., a more internal locus of control) at a 6-month follow-up assessment while controlling for baseline levels. MothersĄ¯ parental locus of control was positively associated with improvements in childrenĄ¯s peer adjustment 12 months following the intervention while controlling for baseline peer adjustment. A significant indirect effect revealed that participation in ADAPT resulted in improved 12-month peer adjustment by improving mothersĄ¯ parental locus of control. Implications for supporting youth resilience to stressors associated with deployment are discussed
%K military deployment
%K peer adjustment
%K parental locus of control
%K parenting intervention
%U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0272431616678990