Military couples' childhood experiences and romantic relationship satisfaction: The role of accepting influence.

Although accepting influence (i.e., being open to the influence of others) is considered important for couple relationships, there is a lack of empirical research on the association between accepting influence and relationship satisfaction. Moreover, research has not examined what family experiences may precede one's ability to accept influence in later romantic relationships, although life course theory and the vulnerability stress adaptation model support the notion that stressful childhood experiences may be consequential for accepting influence adaptive processes, which, in turn, can impact relationship satisfaction. This study used dyadic, couple data and an actor partner interdependence model to investigate the associations between stressful childhood experiences, accepting influence, and relationship satisfaction in a sample of 229 military couples (with one male service member and one female civilian spouse) after accounting for elements of their military context (e.g., rank, number of deployments), relationship length, and mental health. The path model also estimated the indirect effects from both partners' stressful childhood experiences to relationship satisfaction through accepting influence. Female spouses' stressful childhood experiences were associated with their perceptions of male partners' accepting influence, which, in turn, was associated with both partners' relationship satisfaction, demonstrating partial mediation. Military couples, as well as other couples in stressful contexts, may benefit from interventions that address how prior family experiences impact current accepting influence processes. Moreover, accepting influence behaviors can be a tool for couples to utilize to mitigate the possible negative consequences of their stressful circumstances on their relationship.

Aunque la aceptación de la influencia (p. ej.: estar abierto a la influencia de los demás) se considera importante para las relaciones de pareja, faltan investigaciones empíricas sobre la asociación entre la aceptación de la influencia y la satisfacción con la relación Además, las investigaciones no han analizado qué experiencias familiares pueden preceder la capacidad de una persona de aceptar la influencia en relaciones amorosas posteriores, aunque la teoría del curso de vida y el modelo de adaptación al estrés de vulnerabilidad respaldan la noción de que las experiencias estresantes de la niñez pueden ser significativas para aceptar los procesos adaptativos de la aceptación de la influencia que, a su vez, puede afectar la satisfacción con la relación. En este estudio se utilizaron datos diádicos de parejas y un modelo de interdependencia actor-pareja para investigar las asociaciones entre las experiencias estresantes de la niñez, la aceptación de la influencia y la satisfacción con la relación en una muestra de 229 parejas de militares (formadas por un esposo en el servicio militar y una esposa civil) después de tener en cuenta los elementos de su contexto militar (p. ej.: rango, número de movilizaciones militares), la duración de la relación y la salud mental. El modelo de pautas también calculó los efectos indirectos de las experiencias estresantes de la niñez de ambos integrantes de la pareja en la satisfacción con la relación mediante la aceptación de la influencia. Las experiencias estresantes de la niñez de las esposas estuvieron asociadas con sus percepciones de la aceptación de la influencia de los esposos, la cual, a su vez, estuvo asociada con la satisfacción con la relación de ambos integrantes de la pareja. Esto demuestra una mediación parcial. Las parejas de militares, así como otras parejas en contextos estresantes, pueden beneficiarse de las intervenciones que abordan cómo las experiencias familiares anteriores afectan los procesos actuales de aceptación de la influencia. Además, las conductas de aceptación de la influencia pueden ser una herramienta que las parejas pueden utilizar para mitigar las posibles consecuencias negativas de sus circunstancias estresantes en su relación.

Paternal Support and Involvement in Unmarried Fragile Families: Impacts on Long-Term Maternal Mental Health.

Fragile families are defined as those that include unmarried or romantically unstable parents who have children and are socioeconomically disadvantaged. Mothers in fragile families may experience risk factors that lead to increased depressive symptoms that inhibit their ability to bounce back after stressful events. Risk factors for poorer maternal mental health may include declines in father involvement and a lack of coparenting support. This study examined the connected nature of coparenting and father involvement over time among continuously unmarried mothers from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study. A bidirectional latent growth curve analysis demonstrated that early father involvement was associated with a more gradual decline in coparenting support over the child's first 5 years, while early coparenting support also predicted a slower decline in father involvement over time. Steeper declines in coparenting support and father involvement over time were linked with more maternal depression and lower maternal life satisfaction when their child was nine. Results demonstrate a clear need for targeted intervention with both parents in fragile families to promote involved fathering behavior and enhance coparental relationships.

Las familias frágiles se definen como aquellas formadas por padres inestables solteros o románticamente inestables que tienen hijos y son desfavorecidos socioeconómicamente (Carlson & McLanahan, 2010). Las madres de las familias frágiles pueden sufrir factores de riesgo conducentes a mayores síntomas depresivos que inhiben su capacidad de recuperarse después de situaciones estresantes (Kalil & Ryan, 2010). Entre los factores de riesgo de deterioro de la salud mental materna se encuentran la disminución de la participación del padre y la falta de apoyo en la cocrianza. Este estudio analizó la índole asociada de la cocrianza y la participación del padre con el paso del tiempo entre las madres continuamente solteras del estudio sobre las "Familias Frágiles y el Bienestar de los Niños" (Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study). Un análisis bidireccional de la curva de crecimiento latente demostró que la participación inicial del padre estuvo asociada con una disminución más gradual del apoyo en la cocrianza durante los primeros cinco años del niño, mientras que el apoyo inicial en la cocrianza también predijo una disminución más lenta de la participación del padre con el paso del tiempo. Las disminuciones más pronunciadas del apoyo en la cocrianza y de la participación del padre con el paso del tiempo estuvieron ligadas a una mayor depresión materna y a una menor satisfacción materna con la vida cuando su hijo tenía nueve años. Los resultados demuestran una clara necesidad de una intervención orientada a ambos padres de las familias frágiles a fin de promover una conducta participativa del padre y mejorar las relaciones de cocrianza.

Implementing Family-Centered Prevention in Rural African American Communities: a Randomized Effectiveness Trial of the Strong African American Families Program.

Efforts to disseminate evidence-based prevention programs are hampered by a lack of real-world effectiveness trials undertaken with community providers. The Strong African American Families (SAAF) program is an empirically validated intervention designed to prevent problem behavior among rural African American youth. To evaluate the effectiveness of SAAF and its implementation protocols when delivered by a community provider, we conducted a randomized, wait-list-controlled trial with outcome measurements assessed longitudinally at baseline and 6 months after baseline. A total of 465 African American youth and their parents were recruited randomly from public school lists of fifth- and sixth-grade students in eight rural counties in south Georgia. Youth and parents assessed targeted outcomes in their homes. The main outcome, problem behavior vulnerability, was operationalized as a latent construct comprising three indicators: tolerance for deviance, intentions to engage in risky behavior, and affiliations with risk-taking peers. SAAF was implemented with uniformly high levels of adherence (85.5%; SD = 10.8) and attendance (M = 4.1, SD = 2.9, range = 0-7). Intent-to-treat and complier average causal effect analyses revealed significant program effects on intervention-targeted parenting practices, youth self-regulatory processes, and problem behavior vulnerability. SAAF influenced problem behavior vulnerability indirectly via effects on targeted parenting and youth processes. This study supported the effectiveness of SAAF in a community setting when a systematic implementation model supports participant engagement and intervention adherence.

AFRICAN AMERICAN STEPFATHER-STEPCHILD RELATIONSHIPS, MARITAL QUALITY, AND MENTAL HEALTH.

This study examined associations between stepfather-stepchild relationship quality, stepfathers' depressive symptoms, and two aspects of marriage: marital quality and positive marital interactions. Marital quality was assessed in terms of commitment, trust, passionate and friendship-based love, and happiness. Marital interactions were assessed in terms of intimacy, shared activities, and verbal communication. Using data collected from 149 recently married African American stepfathers, structural equation modeling revealed that when stepfathers reported more positive relationships with their stepchildren, they also reported more positive marital quality and a higher frequency of positive marital interactions (relationship solidifying activities), and that, in turn, was associated with stepfathers experiencing fewer depressive symptoms.

Examining predictors of relationship dissolution among unmarried parents: Applying the vulnerability-stress-adaptation framework.

Prior research has established that parents who are in a relationship, yet unmarried at the time of their child's birth, are at an increased risk of relationship instability. However, the processes that may lead to the dissolution of these unmarried parents' couple relationships are less clear. Guided by the vulnerability-stress-adaptation model, the present study examined data from a sample of 1,575 mother and father dyads who participated in the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study over a 9-year period. A mixed effects Cox regression model was used to investigate how unmarried parents' reports of enduring vulnerability (depressive symptoms) over time influenced the onset of relationship dissolution between the time their focal child was 1- and 9-years old. Further, the potential mediating effect of mothers' and fathers' reports of stressful events (parenting stress) and adaptive processes (couple relationship interactions and coparenting behaviors) on the association between depressive symptoms and relationship dissolution by the 9-year follow-up were also examined. Results indicated that mothers' and fathers' reports of experiencing depressive symptoms over time were associated with relationship dissolution. Further, perceptions of couple interactions emerged as a significant mediator at the 3- (mothers) and 5- (mothers and fathers) year follow-up. Coparenting behaviors were a significant mediator for mothers and fathers at the 3- and 5-year follow-up. These results highlight how experiencing depressive symptoms over time, as well as perceptions of couple interactions and coparenting behaviors throughout the early years of parenting, are salient factors in the instability of unmarried parents' relationships. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

A latent class analysis of nonrelative foster caregivers' trait mindfulness and individual and relationship outcomes.

Despite the joys related to fostering, foster caregivers also report challenges that consequently may influence placement stability. A healthy couple relationship is a characteristic of a high-quality, two-parent foster home. Further, foster caregivers who experience less parenting stress and possess greater well-being (e.g., lower depressive symptoms, higher levels of self-care) are better equipped to manage the challenges of fostering. Trait mindfulness has been associated with a greater capacity to manage parenting stress and cultivate greater well-being. The present descriptive study employs latent class analysis to examine the trait mindfulness of heterosexual foster caregiver couples (N = 235), potential covariates of trait mindfulness, and couple and individual outcomes. Four groups of foster caregiver couples emerged where both partners reported either high or low levels of trait mindfulness and where one partner reported high mindfulness and the other reported low mindfulness. Foster caregiver couples where both partners were younger, non-White, and those where the woman was employed outside of the home reported lower levels of mindfulness for one or both partners. Further, individuals in couples where both partners were highly mindful reported better couple relationship outcomes and self-care and fewer depressive symptoms. Implications for future research and practice are shared. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Social integration buffers the impact of financial distress on coparenting.

The authors of this study examined how families may pull upon their shared social networks to generate positive relationship dynamics in the midst of financial distress. Prior research regarding the relevance of social integration to the associations between financial distress and the coparenting relationship have produced mixed and limited results. This study explores how each partner's belief that the couple is integrated within a supportive social network interacts with the strain of financial hardship to influence the coparenting relationship. The authors test whether social integration constitutes a capability for bonadaptation. Data for the present study were collected from 247 couples referred to a community-based, relationship enrichment program who were parents (or pregnant) and had received supportive social services within the last year. The authors estimated an actor-partner interdependence model examining the association between financial distress and each participant's report of their partner's supportive coparenting, as well as the moderating effects of perceived social integration upon this association. The association between financial distress (from either partner) and maternal reports of paternal coparenting support were buffered by mothers' perception of couple social integration. Fathers' perceptions of social integration buffered the association between maternal financial distress and his perception of his partner's coparenting support. The findings highlight the critical role of external support systems (e.g., friends and family) in buffering the effects of financial distress on the coparenting relationship for a diverse, low-income population. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

The biopsychosocial associations between marital hostility and physical health of middle-aged couples.

The aim of the current study was to investigate bio-psycho-behavioral associations between marital distress and the physical health of couples, with two different aspects of physical health outcomes receiving attention: physical illness and physical functional impairments over the middle years. Using an actor-partner interdependence model within a longitudinal approach and data from married heterosexual couples in enduring marriages (N = 370 dyads), we examined the mediating pathways which reflected biopsychosocial processes and addressed how trajectories spousal hostility may contribute to husbands' and wives' later health. The results indicated that hostile marital interactions in the early middle years could wear down couples' regulatory systems through greater psychological distress, more health-risk behaviors, and a higher body mass index (BMI), which in turn increased vulnerability to later physical health problems for both husbands and wives. For both husbands and wives, their evolved psychological distress influenced by both their own and their spouse's perceived spousal hostile behaviors, supported the stress-related dyadic process in the couples. The findings also emphasized the salient role of psychological distress in leading not only to an increased risk of physical illness directly but also to a higher risk of physical impairment through increased levels of BMI for both husbands and wives. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Changes following premarital education for couples with differing degrees of future marital risk.

The present study explored changes in individuals' relationship cognitions and behaviors following premarital education for couples with different risk profiles. The sample consisted of 63 couples who completed the PREPARE program and were classified for future marital risk based on dyadic information. A significant interaction effect was found between risk and time, with individuals in relationships classified as high risk exhibiting greater change at 4 weeks postprogram compared to low-risk individuals. Perceived helpfulness of topics also varied by couple type. Findings provide support for adapting premarital education programs for high-risk couples and offer clinicians and educators specific insights for areas of emphasis when working with different types of couples.

With a little help from our friends: couple social integration in marriage.

The benefits of social integration (i.e., structural or affective connectedness with others and with social institutions) have been frequently noted for individuals' personal well-being. In a similar fashion, recent marital research has highlighted how the social integration of a couple also appears to positively affect marital well-being. However, beyond main effects, little research to date has considered whether couples' social integration possesses moderating effects for spouses' marital quality as well. Among a sample of 492 married individuals, the present study explored whether spouses' reports of the social integration of their marriage moderated the associations between (a) financial distress and marital happiness, and (b) residing in more urban areas and marital happiness. Results from latent interaction structural equation modeling revealed a significant interaction between couple social integration and each contextual factor. Specifically, higher levels of couple social integration buffered marital happiness from lower levels associated with greater financial distress and with residing in more urban areas. These results, along with cultural shifts that have led to lower levels of communal ties and involvement throughout society, suggest couple social integration to be a pertinent construct for marital research and enrichment efforts.