Accepting influence in military couples: Implications for couples' communication and family satisfaction

In popular relationship resources, accepting influence is regarded as a couple-level process vital for relational satisfaction. However, empirical research has demonstrated inconsistent evidence for these suppositions, with several studies identifying no associations between accepting influence and relationship outcomes, and, furthermore, several gaps in the literature remain with regard to our knowledge on accepting influence (e.g., little identified research on military couples or family outcomes). To address these gaps, a measure of perceptions of one's partner accepting influence was retrospectively created to examine accepting influence in Army couples (N = 244). With theoretical underpinnings from family systems theory, this study used an actor-partner interdependence approach to investigate the associations between partners' accepting influence and couple communication satisfaction and satisfaction with the family. Service members' perceptions of their partners' accepting influence were associated with their own outcomes, whereas civilian spouses' perceptions of partners' accepting influence were related to both partners' outcomes. Results suggest accepting influence may be an intervention point to improve couple and family outcomes.