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Objective To explore the associations among foster caregiver husbands' and wives' parenting stress, couple relationship quality, and coparenting relationship quality. Background Little empirical attention has been given to examining the relationship experiences of foster caregivers. The present study was designed to examine how parenting stress of foster caregivers is associated with husbands' and wives' perceptions of their marital and coparenting relationships. Method Using an actor–partner interdependence model, we analyzed data from a sample of 96 heterosexually married couples who were active foster caregivers from three larger studies from a single state. Results Both husbands' and wives' parenting stress were associated with their own and their partner's perceptions of their marital and coparenting relationship, but marital relationship quality was only associated with their own coparenting relationship quality (i.e., actor effects). Husbands' perceptions of the marital relationship mediated the relationship between both husbands' and wives' parenting stress and husbands' coparenting relationship quality. Conclusion Results suggest that foster caregiver husbands' and wives' parenting stresses have unique impacts on how they and their partner perceive their marital and coparenting relationships. Implications Child welfare professionals who work with foster caregivers may provide resources and support to reduce the parenting stress caregivers experience, such as providing more access to respite services and healthy relationship and marriage education.

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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 evidencederived 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, ninefactor (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.

Parents' early life stressful experiences have lifelong consequences, not only for themselves but also for their children. The current study utilized a sample of military families (n = 266) including data from both active-duty and civilian parents and their adolescent children. Hypotheses reflecting principles of persistence, transmission, and proximity as pertaining to parents and their children were examined. The impact of parents' childhood experiences on their functioning later in life and, consequently, their adolescent children's well-being were examined. Adults who encountered more stressful childhood experiences, including relatively prevalent and less severe adversities (e.g., verbal conflict between parents) experienced poorer functioning than adults who encountered little early stress. Civilian parents' current functioning was related to adolescent children's well-being, whereas the functioning of active-duty parents was generally not related to children's well-being. Persistence, transmission, and proximity hypotheses were generally supported but with variations attributable to whether an adult was a military member. (PsycINFO Database Record

The present study examines the impact of Relationship Smarts Plus among 1,657 adolescents age 12-18 across 25 Georgia counties. The program, aimed at increasing awareness about healthy versus unhealthy relationships and promoting smart dating strategies and the application of healthy communication and conflict resolution skills, was offered 54 times by 23 different FCS or 4-H agents during a 53-month period. After each lesson, participants completed a 5-item retrospective pre- and post-test assessing changes in awareness and understanding of the concepts and skills learned. Overall, 949 (57%) youth responded to an overall post-evaluation administered at the conclusion of the program series to document confidence levels in having a healthy relationship, likelihood of using the skills learned, perceived helpfulness of the program, and changes in how youth felt about themselves. On average, youth demonstrated significant increases in knowledge for all lessons and reported positive improvements across all post-evaluation indicators following participation in the program. Implications for future youth-focused outreach programming to promote healthy relationships are shared.

Foster caregivers provide care to some of our most vulnerable children and often experience challenges that can interfere with family functioning, including the interparental relationship. Recent efforts have been made to provide couple relationship education (CRE) to foster caregivers to support their interparental relationship and enhance the quality of the foster home. Guided by family systems theory and adult learning theory, and using an actor–partner interdependence model, the present quasi-experimental descriptive study -examined foster caregivers’ parenting stress at baseline as a moderator of change in perceptions of coparenting support from pre-program (baseline) to post-program (4–6 weeks following CRE) to determine if higher levels of stress prior to CRE inhibits positive changes in coparenting support. While both men and women experience positive change in their perceptions of coparenting support, higher levels of parenting stress moderated positive change for men.