Marital Satisfaction Among African Americans and Black Caribbeans: Findings From the National Survey of American Life*

• Author: James S. Jackson,Chalandra M. Bryant,Robert Joseph Taylor,Karen D. Lincoln,Linda M. Chatters
• Date: 01 April 2008
• Published date: 01 April 2008
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3729.2008.00497.x

Marital Satisfaction Among African Americans and Black

Caribbeans: Findings From the National Survey

of American Life*

Chalandra M. Bryant Robert Joseph Taylor Karen D. Lincoln Linda M. Chatters James S. Jackson**

Abstract: This study examines the correlates of marital satisfaction using data from a national probability sample of

African Americans (N¼962) and Black Caribbeans (N¼560). Findings reveal differences between African Ameri-

cans and Black Caribbeans, and men and women within those groups, in the predictors of marital satisfaction.

Black Caribbean women reported overall higher levels of marital satisfaction than African American women. The

findings amply demonstrate the significance of ethnic diversity within the Black population in the United States.

Difficulties with finances (budgeting, credit issues, and debt management) are one of the key issues that generate

conflict in marriages; stress generated as a result of financial problems can lower marital satisfaction. Because these

issues are salient for couples at any given time in the family life cycle, counseling at critical points in the marriage

(birth of children, launching of children from home, and retirement) may be helpful.

Key Words: African American, Caribbean families, marital quality, marital satisfaction, West Indians.

Over 80% of Americans will eventually marry at

some point in their lives (U.S. Census Bureau,

2002). Reflecting the importance of this social insti-

tution, research on marriage and marital relation-

ships enjoys a long and rich history in the areas of

family studies and family demography (Cherlin,

2000). However, beyond the demographic informa-

tion gleaned from Census reports, relatively little is

known about marriage and marital relationships

among Black Americans and even less about subcul-

tural differences within them. The goal of the pres-

ent study was to investigate the sociodemographic

correlates of marital satisfaction among a national

sample of Black adults, focusing in particular on dis-

tinctions and similarities between the two major

subpopulations of African Americans and Black

Caribbeans.

The focus on Black Caribbeans (Caribbean

Blacks) is motivated by several important considera-

tions. The first concerns the increasing size of this

group and their growing proportion of the Black

population in specific metropolitan areas (e.g., New

York, Miami, Boston) and in the U.S. Black popula-

tion overall. Between 1990 and 2000, the Black

Caribbean population in the United States grew by

nearly 67% (Logan & Deane, 2003). Presently,

more than 1.5 million Blacks in this country are

classified as Caribbean (Logan & Deane). The

growth of the Black Caribbean population has sur-

passed that of established minorities such as Cubans

*The data collection on which this study is based was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH; U01-MH57716) with supplemental support from

the Office of Behavioral and Social Science Research at the National Institutes of Health and the University of Michigan. The preparation of this manuscript was sup-

ported by grants from the National Institute on Aging to Drs. Chatters and Taylor (R01-AG18782) and Drs. Jackson and Taylor (P30-AG15281), a grant from the

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (HD050045) to Dr. Bryant, and a grant from the NIMH (K01-MH69923-01) to Dr. Lincoln. The

authors would like to thank Dr. David H. Chae for his valuable assistance with the data analysis for this study.

**Chalandra M. Bryant is an associate professor of Human Development and Family Studies at The Pennsylvania State University, 105 White Building, University

Park, PA 16802-3903 (cmb34@psu.edu). Robert J. Taylor is an associate dean for Research in the School of Social Work at the University of Michigan, 1080 South

University, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (rjtaylor@umich.edu). Karen D. Lincoln is an assistant professor of Social Work at the University of Southern California, 669 West

34th Street, MRF 327, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0411 (klincoln@usc.edu). Linda M. Chatters is a professor of Public Health and professor of Social Work at the Uni-

versity of Michigan, 1080 South University, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (chatters@umich.edu). James S. Jackson is a professor of Psychology and director of the Institute

for Social Research, 426 Thompson Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48106-1248 (jamessj@umich.edu).

Family Relations, 57 (April 2008), 239–253. Blackwell Publishing.

Copyright 2008 by the National Council on Family Relations.