Childhood Experiences and Accepting Influence in Military Couples

Yorkshire

In couple relationships, the phenomenon of accepting influence is both an observable action, seen in couples compromising and respecting each other, as well as an approach to the relationship, one’s perception that their partner is someone worthy of sharing power with. This study utilizes a life course perspective to examine the mediated relationship between childhood experiences, partners accepting influence, and relationship satisfaction in a sample of military couples. An actor partner interdependence mediation model was fit in Amos to examine the relationships. Civilian spouses’ childhood experiences were related to their perception their partner accepts influence and service members’ perception their partner accepts influence; this was then related to both partners’ relationship satisfaction. Accepting influence is a potential leverage point for improving relationship satisfaction in military couples who may be at an increased risk due to the nature of military life.