Extended Family Support and Relationship Satisfaction Among Married, Cohabiting, and Romantically Involved African Americans and Black Caribbeans

Patterns of Emotional Social Support and Negative Interactions among African American and Black Caribbean Extended Families

“…First, being married does not guarantee that an individual has optimal relationships with their extended families. Among both married African Americans and married Black Caribbeans, negative interaction with extended family members significantly reduces reported levels of marital satisfaction (Taylor et al, 2012). In fact, negative interaction with family is associated with interference or conflict with the marital union that both constitutes a source of stress and has negative consequences for marital satisfaction (Bryant, Conger, & Meehan, 2001; Neighbors, 1997; Serewicz & Canary, 2008).…”

Extended Family and Friendship Support Networks Are Both Protective and Risk Factors for Major Depressive Disorder and Depressive Symptoms Among African-Americans and Black Caribbeans

“…The mental disorders sections used for NSAL are slightly modified versions of those developed for the World Mental Health project initiated in 2000 (World Health Organization, 2004) and the instrument used in the National Comorbidity Survey-Replication (NCS-R) (Kessler & Ustun, 2004). A full description of 12-month and lifetime depression is provided by Taylor et al (2012).…”

“…These support networks extend both material and emotional assistance and distribute risks and resources across several households in multiple transnational locations (Basch et al 1994). Although still relatively small, an emerging body of survey research on family support among Black Caribbeans indicates that family relationships can be both a risk and protective factor for well-being and mental health factors such as marital satisfaction (Taylor et al, 2012) and suicidal behavior (Lincoln et al, 2012). …”

A Culture of Mutual Support: The Impact of Giving and Receiving of Practical and Emotional Support on African American Marital Satisfaction

“…The exception is the study conducted by Taylor et al (2012), who analyzed the impact of emotional support and negative interaction with extended family on relationship satisfaction of African Americans and Black Caribbeans. They reported that emotional support received from extended family was positively associated with relationship satisfaction while negative interaction with extended family was associated with lower relationship satisfaction.…”

“…Social networks are important to consider for African American married couples because research has indicated that mutual support, characterized by reciprocal giving and receiving of practical and emotional support, is a dominant theme in African American social networks (Gerstel, 2011; Hill, 2003; Taylor, Chatters, Woodward & Brown, 2013). Despite this fact, few studies of social networks and marital satisfaction include African Americans in their sample (Taylor, Brown, Chatters & Lincoln, 2012). Furthermore, studies tend to focus on married individuals or couple’s receipt of support and its influence on marital satisfaction opposed to mutual support.…”