Thirty African American married couples (N ¼ 60 individuals) were interviewed regarding the challenges and benefits of their happy, enduring marriages. Qualitative coding and analysis revealed 4 key themes: (1) Challenges in African American Marriages, (2) Overcoming External Challenges to Marriage, (3) Resolving Intramarital Conflict, and (4) Unity and the Importance of Being ''Equally Yoked.'' Supporting qualitative data are presented in connection with each theme. Implications for enduring marriages among African Americans specifically are discussed.
Hummer, Rogers, Nam, and Ellison found a 13.7-year advantage in longevity for African Americans who attend worship services more than once a week compared with those who never attend. This article subsequently responds to the question, Why do highly religious African Americans live significantly longer? A purposive sample of highly religious, African American adults were interviewed using an in-depth, qualitative approach to examine the religion-health-longevity interface. Six themes relating to the research question are reported: active faith involvement and the aged, avoiding negative coping, evading violence, the absence of hope, social support, and the power of prayer. The six themes are discussed in detail, and directions for future research are recommended.
The present study examines the experiences of 50 immigrant mothers and fathers from Eastern European countries raising children in the United States. Qualitative analysis of in-depth personal interviews resulted in three themes related to: (1) issues of discipline and decline of parental authority; (2) opportunities to build a child’s selfesteem and confidence; and (3) a need to balance and integrate two cultures. This study illustrates the process of negotiation between two cultures that immigrant parents engage in and provides support for integration as an acculturation strategy. Narratives of immigrant parents demonstrate that they are changing their childrearing practices to give their children more choices and allow children more power in the family, while, at the same time, trying to maintain their authority and discipline. As a result of exposure to the host culture, these immigrant parents also report placing greater value on developing their children’s self-esteem and assertiveness as important qualities for successful adaptation to the new context. While selectively adopting new childrearing values and strategies, these parents report retaining some attitudes and practices from their original cultures in order to keep their children grounded in reality. Participants’ quotes provide rich descriptions of their experience of parenting in immigration and contribute to our understanding of the cultural factors guiding their childrearing decisions. This study may be useful to researchers and practitioners working with immigrants.
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