Abstract
This chapter presents a summary of findings from a large-scale longitudinal study of nonurban African American families designed to focus on factors that influence the relationships between parents, given the importance of parental relationships for the outcomes of children. After a brief summary of the study’s goals and methods, findings are presented regarding the impact of adverse neighborhood characteristics, financial stressors, and racial discrimination on the quality and stability of African American couples’ relationships. Findings are also presented that highlight the benefits for couples of key resource variables and the mechanisms through which these resources affect outcomes. Finally, we briefly present some methodological challenges to conducting research on this population and provide recommendations for future research.
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Cutrona, C.E., Clavél, F.D., Johnson, M.A. (2016). African American Couples in Rural Contexts. In: Crockett, L., Carlo, G. (eds) Rural Ethnic Minority Youth and Families in the United States. Advancing Responsible Adolescent Development. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-20976-0_8
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