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Abstract
Links between finances, mental health, and relationship health have been documented across many populations by social scientists from many disciplines. The present studies examine the relationships between financial difficulties, mental health, and relationship health that span both the individual and couple systems. Drawing on the Contextual Model of Family Stress (CMFS) and ABC-X framework and a sample of active duty military couples (N=221), dyadic structural equation models evaluate financial difficulties, use of resources, sense of community, perceptions of financial wellness, and mental health (manuscript 1) and relationship health (manuscript 2).Findings link increased financial difficulties to poorer perceptions of financial wellness with both actor and partner effects, and in turn, indirectly link financial difficulties to poorer mental and relationship health. Multigroup analyses suggest specific paths in the model differ for those with/without spouse employment, those living on/off a military installation, and for officer/enlisted active duty service members.