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LAY SUMMARY The psychological health of military spouses is essential for the health and readiness of the family system. Thus, it is essential to understand contextual and familial factors that play a role in the psychological vulnerability of military spouses. This study examined how aspects of military life (number of deployments, perceived social support from the military community, and assessments of military life satisfaction) and family life (namely, couple well-being) played a role in the psychological vulnerability (depressive symptoms and personal well-being) of 222 U.S. military wives. Results suggested that when military wives felt more social support from the military community, they typically reported greater well-being. Wives who were more satisfied with military life tended to indicate better couple well-being. In turn, greater couple well-being was linked to less psychological vulnerability, specifically, fewer depressive symptoms and higher well-being. Overall, the military context had some bearing on the psychological vulnerability of military wives, especially when they did not feel supported by the military community. Importantly, however, the couple relationship appeared to be the most salient factor associated with the psychological vulnerability of military wives. Promoting healthier couple relationships appears to be a potential leverage point for intervention.

The co-parenting relationship matters for postdivorce parental adjustment. This study explores the relative impact of different forms of co-parenting behaviors, coupled with an individual's psychological resources, in explaining parent mental health in recently divorced or separated parents ( n = 355). A latent variable structural equation model was fit to examine pathways between dimensions of co-parenting (support, overt conflict, self-controlled covert conflict, and externally controlled covert conflict), various psychological resources (satisfaction with the divorce decree, perceived competence of the co-parent, and self-efficacy), and adverse mental health symptomology. Significant direct pathways were identified between overt co-parenting conflict and adverse mental health. Indicators of co-parenting quality were tied differentially to various resources. Indirect effects were found for both self-controlled covert conflict and overt conflict on adverse mental health symptomology through self-efficacy. Leverage points and considerations for health professionals and practitioners working with divorcing parents are discussed.

AbstractObjectiveThis brief presents a novel element of program evaluation, termed a domain matrix design, and demonstrates the application of the design element with an example from a collaborative evaluation project focused on the Department of the Air Force's Personal Financial Readiness program.BackgroundUtilizing sound scientific principles and employing a replicable approach to program evaluation, the domain matrix design is an adaptable approach to quantitative data collection for program evaluation that minimizes participant survey burden while maximizing available data.MethodThis goal is primarily achieved through the identification of domains of measurable training outcomes that are pertinent to the evaluation and then the strategic assignment of program participants to survey assessment groups that provide sufficient, but limited, overlap of these domains.ResultsThe proposed approach provides sufficient data on all outcome domains, and analyses can be utilized to examine how each domain is linked to other domains as outlined in the program's logic model, while also minimizing the participant burden and streamlining data collection.ConclusionThis brief serves as an example of bridging evaluation to meet internal program stakeholders' needs with opportunities to contribute to the broader research community, specifically the fields of family science and evaluation. That is, the example project demonstrates how evaluation can meet both the internal needs of program stakeholders (e.g., does this program work for us? what modifications are needed to enhance program effectiveness?) and the external needs of the research community (e.g., broad dissemination of findings to share and compare results).

Recent meta‐analytic efforts have documented how couple and relationship education (CRE) programs promote healthy relationship and family functioning. The current meta‐analysis contributes to this body of literature by examining stepfamily couples, an at‐risk, subpopulation of participants, and assessing the effectiveness of CRE programs for individuals in these relationships. Findings are aggregated from 14 evaluation studies of CRE programs designed for stepcouples. Analyses examine effects by study design (i.e., comparison‐group and one‐group/pre‐post) and within specific domains (i.e., family, parental, and couple functioning). The interventions have, on average, small effects overall (comparison‐group: d = .20; one‐group/pre‐post: d = .23), and slightly larger effects in family and parental functioning when examining specific outcomes (d = .20 to .35). An examination of effectiveness over time reveals that earlier studies (i.e., 1980s and 1990s) show larger effects than more recent studies. Implications for CRE programs for stepfamilies and evaluation needs are discussed.

Accessing two independent samples of adolescents in military families in the United States who recently experienced parental separation ( N = 573; N = 186), this study sought to identify adolescent mental health profiles indexed on multiple indicators. In other words, we asked how military adolescents fare after parental separation in terms of mental health indicators. Proximal family processes (family cohesion, conflict, and marital adjustment) were also examined in relation to mental health profiles as well as core adolescent outcomes, self-rated health, and school enjoyment. In both samples, three profiles emerged identifying similar structures of mental health profiles. Two-thirds of adolescents were in the lowest risk mental health group. Poor family cohesion and greater conflict were associated with the moderate and highest risk groups. The lowest risk group reported better health and greater school enjoyment. Family nurses and other health care professionals are encouraged to inquire about military connectedness, structural changes occurring within the family system, and family processes in relation to adolescent well-being.

Grounded in multiple ways of thinking about families, we propose a beginning framework for developing and implementing military family life education. We first situate this work within the context of established family life education frameworks. Then, we discuss features of military culture, including its contexts and demands on families, to highlight the realities of life as a military family and underscore available strengths that family life educators may build upon. This is followed by a discussion of family science theories emphasizing components that can inform and ground military family life education. Next, we draw on lessons from recent comprehensive reviews of programs, including their merits and demerits. Finally, we cite example programs, including those embedded in military family support systems themselves, and resources that are available to family life educators. Ultimately, we propose a set of ideas that inform a framework for developing and implementing military family life education aligned with the realities of family life as well as the vulnerabilities and the resilience of military families.

Using a stress‐process and attachment theory framework, we identified salient aspects of the parent–adolescent relationship and tested the extent to which those aspects were longitudinally associated with depression, withdrawal, delinquency, and aggressive behavior outcomes among a sample of high‐risk adolescents (N = 498). First, four dimensions of the parent–adolescent relationship were identified: emotional closeness, communication, autonomy, and conflict. Next, latent profile analyses were conducted, and four distinct parent–adolescent relationship profiles emerged: secure, avoidant, anxious, and detached. Adolescent outcomes were assessed 2 years later. Results indicated that (a) adolescents in the avoidant and anxious profiles demonstrated higher depression symptoms than did those in the secure profile, (b) higher levels of aggression were demonstrated in the avoidant profile, and (c) higher levels of delinquency were demonstrated in the detached profile. Implications for parent–adolescent relationships and family therapy interventions are provided.

AbstractObjectiveGrounded in the Kirkpatrick and Kirkpatrick model of evaluation, we examine multiple dimensions of military service members' reactions to six online, asynchronous financial family life education efforts.BackgroundUsing a "just‐in‐time" training model, financial literacy trainings that correspond to key family and career transitions were congressionally mandated for all service members. Program evaluation efforts are ongoing to assess training merit and inform training improvements.MethodThe six specific trainings evaluated occurred when service members were relocating, returning from deployment, receiving a promotion, getting married, getting divorced, and the birth of a first child. We explored various dimensions of training reactions, including training topics that were perceived as most beneficial at certain life stages or transitions; the perceptions of the trainings' quality, relevance, and impact; and finally, the likelihood of them sharing that information with their significant other. Data were collected between July 2021 and June 2023.ResultsOverall, service members perceived the trainings as high quality, relevant, and impactful, and most service members were likely to share the information with their spouse. Some differences were seen by demographic groups, such that trainees who were enlisted (compared to officers), identified as African American (compared to White), and had a high school diploma or associate's degree (compared to a more advanced degree) typically reported more favorable reactions.Conclusion and ImplicationsActionable strategies are provided to support service members and inform the development and evaluation of other family life education programs, particularly online, asynchronous training and financial‐focused training.

AbstractApproximately 60% of deployed service members leave behind immediate family members, and although military families tend to be adaptive and resilient, evidence suggests that deployments are challenging and difficulties can arise during transitions and family separation, especially for adolescents. Grounded in the family attachment network model and the ABC‐X model of family stress, the current study utilized a sample of 204 military families with an active‐duty father, civilian mother and adolescent and examined parents' perceptions of adolescents' difficulties during deployment in relation to all three family members' perceptions of the adolescents' mental health (i.e., anxiety symptoms) following deployment. First, analyses of measurement invariance indicated that service members and civilian parents were generally reporting on the same underlying construct of their adolescents' difficulties during parental deployment. Next, a structural equation model demonstrated considerable overlap in service member and civilian parent reports of their adolescents' difficulties during a parental deployment (r = 0.47). Finally, both parents' perceptions of adolescent difficulties during parental deployment were related to their own perceptions of the adolescent's current anxiety but not to the adolescents' reports of their own anxiety symptoms or to the other parent's report of the adolescents' anxiety symptoms. Findings provide support for utilizing these theories in combination, such that disruptions to the family system, and the attachment relationships within that system, in one stage of the deployment cycle, may imply that there are implications for individual‐level functioning, namely, anxiety, in the next stage of the deployment cycle. Findings also underscore the importance of examining our measurement tools and collecting data from multiple family members to understand family processes.

Guided by the Relationships Motivation Theory, this short-term longitudinal study examined associations between social support (i.e., relatedness), depression, and stress in the form of task overload among emerging adult, university students (N = 184 at time one; N = 105 at time two; 69.2% female). Results from a series of path models indicated a significant relationship between decreased perceptions of social support over time and an increase in perceived task overload with significant mediating effects through depressive symptomology. Implications for counseling services as well as intervention and awareness points for university professionals are discussed.

AbstractCommunicating about finances is essential to develop shared meaning and goals within couple relationships. When couples struggle to discuss finances, they can experience poor couple outcomes. For researchers and clinicians to effectively study and promote healthy couple communication patterns regarding finances, a parsimonious, reliable, and valid measure of couples' financial communication is needed. This study examined the psychometric utility of the 5-item Couples' Financial Communication Scale (originally developed for the Flourishing Families Project; Day, R. D., Bean, R., Coyne, S., Dyer, J., Harper, J., & Walker, L. (2017). Flourishing families project: Survey of family life [codebook].) using two large, diverse samples—one of emerging adult individuals in a romantic relationship (N = 1,950) and another of dyads in a romantic relationship (N = 1,252; 69.9% beyond emerging adulthood). Similar findings emerged across both samples. Inter-item correlations, skewness, and kurtosis of the five items were within acceptable ranges. The five items loaded onto a latent construct with robust standardized factor loadings (ranging from 0.63 to 0.90) and sound model fit. Cronbach's alpha revealed sound reliability (α = between 0.85 and 0.89). Multiple tests of measurement equivalence suggest the measure appears to be reasonably useful across theoretically meaningful groups (gender, age, income, marital status, and joint banking behaviors). Couples' financial communication and couples' relationship quality were positively correlated with large effect sizes—showing initial evidence of predictive validity. The parsimonious Couples' Financial Communication Scale has sound evidence of reliability, validity, and measurement equivalence across two diverse samples, which positions it to be a useful measure in future scholarship to assess the degree to which couples engage in ongoing healthy and cooperative financial communication.