Resources | Launching Leaders: Preparing Military-Connected Teens for Adulthood

Citations

• 4-H Military Partnership. (2022, May 19). Comeback Together Tour [Conference presentation]. 2022 4-H Military Partnership Regional Meeting, Pensacola, FL.
• 4-H PLWG Standing Committee on Positive Youth Development. (2025, March). 4-H beyond ready framework [Working group discussion]. https://helping-youth-thrive.extension.org/
• Arnett, J. J. (2000). Emerging adulthood: A theory of development from the late teens through the twenties. American psychologist, 55(5), 469.
• Arnold, Mary. (2018). From Context to Outcomes: A Thriving Model for 4-H Youth Development Programs. Journal of Human Sciences and Extension. 6(1), 141-160. 10.54718/NBNL5438.
• Bowles, S. et al. 2015. “Total Force Fitness: The Military Family Fitness Model.” Military Medicine 180 3:246-258.
• CDC.gov. (2024, May 16). Risk and protective factors. https://www.cdc.gov/aces/risk-factors/index.html. 
• Cramm, H., McColl, M. A., Aiken, A. B., & Williams, A. (2019). The mental health of military-connected children: A scoping review. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 28, 1725-1735. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-019-01402-y.
• Creech SK, Hadley W, Borsari B. The Impact of Military Deployment and Reintegration on Children and Parenting: A Systematic Review. Prof Psychol Res Pr. 2014 Dec;45(6):452-464. doi: 10.1037/a0035055. PMID: 25844014; PMCID: PMC4383395. 
• Cunitz, K., Dölitzsch, C., Kösters, M., Willmund, G.-D., Zimmermann, P., Bühler, A. H., Fegert, J. M., Ziegenhain, U., & Kölch, M. (2019). Parental military deployment as risk factor for children’s mental health: A meta-analytical review. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health, 13(26). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13034-019-0287-y.
• DeGraff, A. N., O’Neal, C. W., & Mancini, J. A. (2016). The significance of military contexts and culture for understanding family well-being: Parent life satisfaction and adolescent outcomes. Journal of Child & Family Studies, 25(10), 3022-3033. https://reachfamilies.umn.edu/sites/default/files/rdoc/DeGraff_2016.pdf.
• Department of Defense (DoD), Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military Community and Family Policy. (2023). 2023 demographics report. Department of Defense. https://download.militaryonesource.mil/12038/MOS/Reports/2023-demographics-report.pdf.
• De Pedro, K. T., Astor, R. A., Gilreath, T. D., Benbenishty, R., & Berkowitz, R. (2018). School climate, deployment, and mental health among students in military-connected schools. Youth & Society, 50(1), 93-115. https://doi.org/10.1177/0044118X15592296. 
• DoDI 1342.22 (2021, August 5). Military Family Readiness. https://www.dmi-ida.org/knowledge-base-detail/dodo-instruction-134222-military-family-readiness.
• Drever, A. I., & Else-Quest, N. M. (2021). Financial literacy among children: Supporting the achievement of financial well-being in adulthood. In The Routledge handbook of financial literacy (pp. 18-30). Routledge.
• Easterbrooks, M. A., Ginsburg, K., & Lerner, R. M. (2013). Resilience among military youth. The future of children, 99-120.
• Farnsworth, M. L., & O’Neal, C. W. (2024). Military‐Connected Adolescents’ Coping Strategies and Psychological Well‐Being: The Moderating Role of Family Functioning. Child & Family Social Work.
• Garst, B. A., Heffington, L. E., Bowers, E. P., Parry, B. J., Quinn, W. H., & Patino, M. (2025). Application of a youth-adult partnership model to facilitate skill development among military-connected youth. Journal of Experiential Education, 1-23. DOI: 10.1177/10538259251328910.
• Geldhof, G. J., Bowers, E. P., Mueller, M. K., Napolitano, C. M., Callina, K. S., Walsh, K. J., Lerner, J. V., & Lerner, R. M. (2015). The Five Cs model of positive youth development. In R. M. Lerner, M. E. Lamb, & R. M. Lerner (Eds.), Promoting positive youth development: Lessons from the 4-H study (pp. 161–186). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-17166-1_9.
• Guzaldo, T., Kim, A., Lieberman, K., Thrasher, E., & VanPuymbrouck, L. H. (2021). Occupational Therapy and Allied Health Interventions to Promote and Support Client Self-Advocacy: A Systematic Review of the Literature. The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy, 9(4), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.15453/2168-6408.1796. 
• Harper Browne, C. (2024, January). Expanding the Perspectives and Research Foundation for the Strengthening Families & Youth Thrive Frameworks. Center for the Study of Social Policy. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED657513.pdf.
• Hawkins, B. L., Townsend, J. A., Heath, S. E., Lipton, K. (2018). The preliminary effects of a recreation-based military family camp on family functioning. American Journal of Recreation Therapy, 17(3), 15-24. 10.5055/ajrt.2018.0164.
• Hendricks, P. A. (1998). Developing youth curriculum using the Targeting Life Skills Model: Incorporating developmentally appropriate learning opportunities to assess impact of life skill development (Iowa State Extension Publication 4H-137A). Iowa State University Extension.
• Hill, P. A., & Francis, D. W. (2014). Responding to the needs of geographically dispersed military youth. The Journal of Extension, 52(2), 24. 
• Jimenez, K. (2025, June 15). Kids are ditching traditional college for career tech programs. Parents are concerned. USA Today. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/education/2025/06/15/kids-ditch-traditional-college-after-high-school/84027992007/ 
• Kaeppler, C., & Lucier-Greer, M. (2020). Examining impacts of cumulative risk on military- connected youth and the role of family in coping. Child & Youth Care Forum, 49, 581- 602. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-020-09544-7.
• Klontz, B., Britt, S. L., Mentzer, J., & Klontz, T. (2011). Money beliefs and financial behaviors: Development of the Klontz Money Script Inventory. Journal of Financial Therapy, 2(1), 1-22. doi:10.4148/jft.v2i1.451.
• LeBaron, A. B., & Kelley, H. H. (2021). Financial socialization: A decade in review. Journal of Family and Economic Issues,42(1),195-206. doi: 10.1007/s10834-020-09736-2. 
• LeBaron-Black, A. B., Curran, M. A., Hill, J., Toomey, R. B., Speirs, K. E., & Freeh, M. E. (2022). Talk is cheap: Parent financial socialization and emerging adult financial well-being. Family Relations, 72(3), 1201-1219. https://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12751. 
• LeBaron-Black, A. B., Kelley, H., & Sorgente, A. (2025). Flourishing and floundering financially in emerging adulthood: A handbook. 
• Lee, S. J., Griffith, A. N., Sánchez, B., Jiang, X., Leggett, C., Bilal, N. J. N., & Chung, S. (2024). “He Knows Me as a Person”: Navigating Cultural Dynamics in Relational Pathways Towards Positive Youth-Adult Relationships in Youth Programs. Journal of Adolescent Research, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/07435584241297118.
• Lerner, R. M., Lerner, J. V., & Benson, J. B. (2011). Positive youth development: Research and applications for promoting thriving in adolescence. In R. M. Lerner, J. V. Lerner, & J. B. Benson (Eds.), Advances in child development and behavior (Vol. 41, Positive youth development, pp. 1–17). Elsevier Academic Press.
• Lucier-Greer, M., et al. (2014). Parental military services and adolescent well-being: Mental health, social connections and coping among youth in the USA. Child & Family Social Work, 21(4), 421-432. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/cfs.12158.
• Lucier-Greer, M., Howard, S., & Mancini, J. A. (2021). Parental relationship quality and adolescent depressive symptoms: Investigating the role of parental warmth and hostility in United States military families. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 47(3), 566-580. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32798259/.
• Martin, L. T., Trail, T. E., & Jeffries, J. (2025, Mar 20). Assessing the needs of military-connected children and resources to address those needs. RAND Report. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA463-2.html.
• Martz, J., Arnold, M. E., Meinhold, J., & Schmitt-McQuitty, L. (2016). Essential elements of 4-H youth development: Curriculum and training guide. National 4-H Council.
• McDonald, S., Erickson, L. D., Johnson, M. K., & Elder, G. H. (2007). Informal mentoring and young adult employment. Social science research, 36(4), 1328-1347.
• McEvoy, D., Brannigan, R., Cooke, L., Butler, E., Walsh, C., Arensman, E., & Clarke, M. (2023). Risk and protective factors for self-harm in adolescents and young adults: An umbrella review of systematic reviews. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 168, 353-380. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2023.10.017. 
• McMaster, H.S. (2025). [Millennium Cohort Study of Adolescent Resilience (SOAR)] [Unpublished analyses of 2022 baseline survey data]. Naval Health Research Center.
• Military OneSource. (2025, Jan 14). Military family readiness system. [Online Article] https://www.militaryonesource.mil/parenting/new-parents/military-family-readiness-system.
• Miller, M., & Terry, J. (2021). Serving Those Who Serve: Increasing Understanding of Mental Health Needs in Military Families. In School Behavioral Health: Interconnecting Comprehensive School Mental Health and Positive Behavior Support (pp. 107-121). Cham: Springer International Publishing.
• National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2019). Strengthening the Military Family Readiness System for a Changing American Society. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/25380.
• National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2019). Strengthening the Military Family Readiness System for a Changing American Society. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31600043/ 
• National Military Family Association (NMFA). (2025). Their right. Our fight. What you need to know about military kids in your schools. Retrieved from https://militaryfamily.org/wp-content/uploads/Education-Revolution_Advocacy-Booklet.pdf. 
• O’Neal, C. W., Lucier-Greer, M., & Okamoto, R. M. (2025). Family Financial Socialization and Financial Capabilities of the US Military Service Members: Do Demographics Matter?. Journal of Financial Counseling and Planning.
• O’Neal, C. W., Mallette, J. K., & Mancini, J. A. (2018). The importance of parents’ community connections for adolescent well-being: An examination of military families. American Journal of Community Psychology, 61(1/2), 204-217. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajcp.12222.
• Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). (2020). Recommendation of the Council on Financial Literacy. legalinstruments.oecd.org/en/instruments/OECD-LEGAL-0461 
• Parry, B. J., Patino, M., Garst, B. A., Bowers, E. P., Quinn, W. H., & Heffington, L. E. (2024). Supporting military-connected teens to thrive: a qualitative evaluation of a leadership program from the perspective of teens and adult advisors. Applied Developmental Science, 28(4), 634-654.
• Price, T. T., & Elmer, B. J. (2020). Preparing teens for opportunities beyond the local level. Virginia Cooperative Extension. https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/content/dam/pubs_ext_vt_edu/4-H/4H-283/4H-880.pdf.
• Rea, J. K., Danes, S. M., Serido, J., Borden, L. M., & Shim, S. (2019). *“Being able to support yourself”: Young adults’ meaning of financial well-being through family financial socialization. Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 40(2), 250-268. doi:10.1007/s10834-018-9602-7.
• Rea, J., & Huff, N. (2024). Foundations for military family financial readiness. [Online course & Blog post]. https://oneop.org/learn/financial-readiness/. 
• Rea, J., Huff, N., & Reed-Fitzke, K. (Under review). Considerations for family life education with military families.
• Serido, J., & Deenanath, V. (2016). Financial parenting: Promoting financial self-reliance of young consumers. In J. J. Xiao (Ed.), Handbook of consumer finance research (2nd ed., pp. 291–300). New York, NY: Springer Science + Business Media.
• Silliman, B., Edwards, H. C., & Johnson, J. C. (2021). Supporting Reserve Component Youth during Deployments: The Project Youth Extension Service Model. Marriage & Family Review, 57(2), 165-187.
• Silliman, B., Edwards, H. C., & Johnson, J. C. (2020). Preparing capable youth workers: The project youth Extension Service approach. Journal of Youth Development, 15(1), 122-149.
• Small, N., Raghavan, R., and Pawson, N. (2013). An ecological approach to seeking and utilizing the views of young people with intellectual disabilities in transition planning. Journal of Intellectual Disabilities, 17(4), 283–300.
• Soto, M., Crouch, E., Odahowski, C., Boswell, E., Brown,M. J., & Watson, P. (2024). Challenges to school success among children in U.S. military families. Military Medicine, usae506. https://researchportal.northumbria.ac.uk/en/publications/challenges-to-school-success-among-children-in-us-military-famili.
• Spencer, R., Drew, A. L., & Gowdy, G. (2023). Going the distance: A longitudinal qualitative study of formal youth mentoring relationship development. Journal of Community Psychology, 51(8), 3083-3102.
• Steggerda, J. C., Cavell, T. A., Drew, A. L., Nicholson, J. H., Herrera, C., Gaffney, D., Smith Slep, A.,& Spencer, R. (2024). Inventory of School Supports-Youth Report (ISS-YR): Development and Validation with Military-Connected Students. School Mental Health, 16(1), 225-238.
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). (2019, July 18). Risk and protective factors. https://www.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/20190718-samhsa-risk-protective-factors.pdf. 
• Taggart, A., & Witt, P. A. (2016). Essential elements of effective youth development programs. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.12109.03046.
• Tannenbaum, K., & McMaster, S. H. (2024). The Study of Adolescent Resilience (SOAR): A research protocol. Child Adolescent Psychiatry, 18(3), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.3389/frcha.2024.1346726.
• Tannenbaum, K., & McMaster, H. S. (2024). The study of adolescent resilience (SOAR): A research protocol. Frontiers in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 19(3). https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/child-and-adolescent-psychiatry/articles/10.3389/frcha.2024.1346726/full.
• Totenhagen, C. J., Casper, D. M., Faber, K. M., Bosch, L. A., Wiggs, C. B., & Borden, L. M. (2015). Youth financial literacy: A review of key considerations and promising delivery methods. Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 36, 167-191.
• Urban, C. & Valdes, O. (2022). Why Is Measured Financial Literacy Declining and What Does It Mean? Maybe We Just “Don’t Know.” FINRA Investor Education Foundation. https://www.finrafoundation.org/sites/finrafoundation/files/2024-10/Why-Is-Measured-Financial-Literacy-Declining.pdf 
• Velez, E. D. (2019, February 14). High school students and parents struggle to estimate the cost of college, according to report. RTI International. https://www.rti.org/news/high-school-students-and-parents-struggle-estimate-cost-college-according-report  
• Velez, E. D., & Horn, L. (2018, October). What high schoolers and their parents know about public 4-year tuition and fees in their state. Institute of Education Sciences. https://nces.ed.gov/use-work/resource-library/report/statistics-brief/what-high-schoolers-and-their-parents-know-about-public-4-year-tuition-and-fees-their-state?pubid=2019404 
• Walker O’Neal, C., Lucier-Greer, M., & Okamoto, R. M. (2025). Family financial socialization and financial capabilities of the U.S. military service members: Do demographics matter? Journal of Financial Counseling and Planning, 36(1), 123-137. http://dx.doi.org/10.1891/JFCP-2023-0104. 
• Wehman, P., Schall, C., Avellone, L., McDonough, J., Whittenburg, H., Dubois, T., & Broda, M. (2023). Effects of a 9-month military-base internship on the competitive integrated employment of military dependent and connected youth with ASD. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 53(9), 3525-3541.
• Weston, K. L., Garst, B. A., Bowers, E. P., & Quinn, W. H. (2021). Cultivating knowledge of resiliency and reintegration among military youth through a national youth leadership program. Evaluation and Program Planning, 86, 101915.
• White, D. J., Williver, S. T., Andress, S., & Stuhr, T. (2020). Dr. Patricia A. Hendricks and the targeting life skills model: An oral history. The Journal of Extension, 58(6), Article 10. https://doi.org/10.34068/joe.58.06.10.

---

The above resources, links, and references may include both no cost and cost-based resources and inclusion in this list does not constitute endorsement by DOW or USDA.