Relationship provisions, self-efficacy and youth well-being in military families

•Data were collected from 273 military families (parents and their adolescents).•The relationship provisions of youth were related to youth well-being.•The influence of these relationship provisions was mediated by youth self-efficacy.

Anchored in the social organization theory of action and change (Mancini & Bowen, 2013), this empirical analysis of military youth examines relationship provisions as related to youth outcomes of anxiety, depressive symptoms, personal well-being, and academic performance. Data were collected from parents and their adolescents, ages 11–18, living in the continental United States (N = 273 military families). Findings from this analysis of military youth indicated that the relationship provisions available to youth were implicated in more positive youth outcomes, and self-efficacy served as a mechanism linking relationship provisions to anxiety and school performance but not to depression and personal well-being. Policy and practice implications are provided, including the importance of establishing and sustaining youth programs and community initiatives that build on natural, informal networks.