(PS4-29) Strengthening Bonds: Rank and Children as Barriers to Attendance in a Military Couple Program

Abstract Text: Military couples face unique stressors, such as deployment, relocation, and operational tempo that may strain relationships. Relationship enrichment retreats aim to strengthen resilience, yet under- researched barriers may exist for enrollment and attendance. Two assumed barriers to attendance are rank, with junior enlisted possibly facing more constraints, and whether or not there are children living in the home, as childcare needs may interfere with participation. This study evaluates whether rank and the presence of children in the home were associated with attendance at a military-sponsored relationship enrichment retreat.
Data was drawn from 191 couples participating in a randomized controlled trial evaluating PREP for Strong Bonds, relationship education curriculum delivered by the Army during weekend retreats to strengthen the readiness of soldiers and their families. All of those randomized to attend the retreat were selected, and then filtered by couples from one site. Chi-square tests examined attendance differences by rank (junior enlisted, noncommissioned officer (NCO), and commissioned officer) and whether or not at least one child was living in the home. The sample reflected Army and Department of Defense demographics, with 88% enlisted personnel. Rank was not a significant predictor of attendance (X2 (4, N = 188) = 1.932, p = .748), with similar attendance rates across junior enlisted (59.3%), NCOs (57.0%), and officers (59.1%). Interestingly, 73% of the participants who signed up to participate had children living in the home. Couples with children were significantly more likely to not attend any of the retreat (X2 (2, N = 188) = 6.016, p = .049). Among those without children, only 7.8% attended no sessions, while among military parents, 21.2% attended none.
Relationship enrichment programs are a popular support program that can strengthen military relationships and have been associated with lower rates of divorce and intimate partner violence (IPV); however, even the most well-researched, evidence-based programs may not have an impact if couples are unable to attend. These findings indicate that having children living in the home may both motivate and hinder attendance, as couples with children in the home were significantly more likely to not attend any of the retreat, despite 73% of the couples being parents. Rank was not a significant barrier to attendance. Future research would benefit from examining how specific structural factors, such as operational tempo, occupation within the military, and unit support may influence the abilities couples have to make use of these programs.