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Objective: The aim of the current study was to identify constructive interpersonal behaviors that may make relational partners more resilient while foster caregiving. Background: Foster caregiving can be stressful due to the unique demands of the role. Consistent with the theory of resilience and relational load, we propose one possible way for couples to manage stress and promote resilience is by investing in their relationships through repetitive and positive relationship maintenance behaviors. Method: Two‐parent foster caregiving couples (N = 227) completed online surveys measuring perceptions of their own and their partners' relationship maintenance and conflict management behaviors, as well as individual reports of depressive symptoms and parenting stress. Results: Structural equation actor–partner interdependence modeling indicated significant direct and indirect actor effects, but no partner effects. Both men's and women's perceptions of the couple's relationship maintenance were positively associated with their perceptions of the couple's conflict management, which, in turn, were negatively related with their own depressive symptoms and parenting stress. Conclusion: Couples' prosocial and constructive behaviors are related to lower mental distress in foster caregivers. Implications: Couple‐focused interventions may be helpful in promoting behaviors that enhance couple functioning and promote the well‐being of foster caregivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We tested the validity of the factor structure and reliability of a new research‐informed comprehensive inventory of key relationship skills predictive of couple quality, the Couple Relationship Skills Inventory (CRSI). Background: The CRSI is based on the National Extension Relationship and Marriage Education Model, an evidence‐derived framework developed as a guide for couple relationship education content. For internal consistency in assessing the effectiveness of programming for couples and for general use in practice and research with couples, an important next step is the design and validation of a comprehensive measure of these core behavioral/attitudinal skills. Method: The analytic (or "training") sample of ethnically and economically diverse adults included 824 (independent) men and women and two cross‐validation samples (n = 763 and n = 470). Results: Bayesian confirmatory factor analysis of individual measurement models informed refinement to a 32‐item, nine‐factor (seven‐subscale) measure and indicated excellent fit of the model to the data. Reliabilities for the full scale and the subscales were good to excellent. Cross‐validation study fit statistics and reliabilities were similar, and measurement invariance across samples was validated. Further, support for internal discriminant validity was implied by small to moderate covariances among the factors and concurrent and predictive validity was evidenced (i.e., significant associations among CRSI scores and measures of relationship quality and family harmony). Implications: This measure provides an efficient assessment of core relational skills critical for healthy couple quality and may prove useful in practice and for future studies of couple relationships and couple relationship education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Foster fathers, who care for and have a unique opportunity to positively influence the at‐risk children who are placed in their home, may struggle to establish a salient foster father identity due to a lack of societal clarity about their role and conflicting views about their importance within the child welfare system. However, we lack theoretical and empirical knowledge on foster fathering. Thus, a nuanced conceptual understanding of the factors and processes that influence the development of foster father identity, which influences the health and involvement of the father–child relationship, would provide insight into supporting foster fathers in establishing healthy, involved relationships with foster children. In this article, we summarize the existing literature on fatherhood and father identity in general; introduce a theoretical framework describing the unique role, identity, and experiences of foster fathers in the United States; and propose recommendations and implications for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Military members and their spouses (n = 223 families) were selected from an Active Duty Army installation and assessed with regard to their connections with the military community, their levels of coping with military culture demands, and their reports of individual (depression and life satisfaction) and family well‐being. Guided by the contextual model of family stress and the social organization theory of action and change, results from a structural equation model indicated that military community connections, for both military members and their civilian spouses, were related to coping with the military culture and its demands, which in turn was related to both individual and family well‐being. Unique actor and partner effects also emerged where both active duty military members' and their civilian spouses' perceptions of military community connections influenced the civilian spouses' satisfaction with military life, but only the active duty military members' community connections influenced their military‐specific coping. Additionally, the associations between military‐specific coping and individual and family well‐being only had actor effects. When examined within the context of important military culture elements, namely rank and extent of military transitions (deployment and relocation), these core findings linking communities to coping and well‐being were unchanged. Implications for theory, future research, and practice are shared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although healthy marital and co‐parenting relationships are important characteristics of a high‐quality, two‐parent foster home, little attention has been given to foster caregiver couples' perceptions of their marital and co‐parenting relationships and the contextual factors that influence these perceptions. Guided by the contextual model of family stress and social cognitive theory, the current study explores patterns of foster caregivers' relationship efficacy, covariates associated with efficacy, and how efficacy is associated with marital and co‐parenting relationship quality. On the basis of data collected from a random sample of 93 foster caregivers, latent profile analysis identified 49.5% as reporting moderate levels of relationship efficacy and 50.5% as reporting high relationship efficacy. Additionally, findings suggested that those who had been married previously, did not have a current placement, had been married longer, had fewer children, and received support from family reported higher levels of relationship efficacy, which was positively associated with positive marital and co‐parenting relationship quality. Implications for how the child welfare system can support foster caregiver marital and co‐parenting relationships are shared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]