Some research reports that divorce exerts greater negative effects on the mental health of Whites compared with African Americans. However, this literature is limited by inadequate attention to temporal dimensions of marital dissolution, in particular stages of the process and duration in each stage. This study incorporates stage and duration into an examination of race differences in the effects of marital dissolution on symptoms of depression and substance abuse or dependence. Data are drawn from the 1983 Piedmont Health Survey (PHS) of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Epidemiologic Catchment Area Program (N = 1,941). Results suggest that the mental health effects of marital dissolution are not weaker for African Americans; rather, the nature and timing of the effects vary by race. Furthermore, gender interacts with race to influence the impact of separation and divorce on mental health.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Aiken, L. S., & West, S. G. (1991). Multiple regression: Testing and interpreting interactions. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
2.
American Psychiatric Association. (1980). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (3rd ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
3.
Ball, R. E., & Robbins, L. (1986). Marital status and life satisfaction among Black Americans. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 48, 389-394.
4.
Bloom, B. L., Asher, S. J., & White, S. W. (1978). Marital disruption as a stressor: A review and analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 85, 867-894.
5.
Bohannan, P. (1970). The six stations of divorce. In P. Bohannan (Ed.), Divorce and after (pp. 29-55). Garden City, NY: Doubleday.
6.
Booth, A., & Amato, P. (1991). Divorce and psychological stress. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 32, 396-407.
7.
Brown, P., Perry, O., & Harburg, E. (1977). Sex role attitudes and psychological outcomes for Black and White women experiencing marital dissolution. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 39, 549-561.
8.
Cherlin, A. J. (1992). Marriage, divorce, remarriage. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
9.
Chiriboga, D. A., & Cutler, L. (1977). Stress responses among divorcing men and women. Journal of Divorce, 1, 95-106.
10.
Elder, G. H. (1985). Perspectives on the life course. In G. H. Elder (Ed.), Life course dynamics. Trajectories and transitions, 1968-1980 (pp. 23-49). Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
11.
Farley, R. (1988). After the starting line: Blacks and women in an uphill race. Demography, 25, 477-495.
12.
Fine, M. A., McKenry, P. C., Donnelly, B. W., & Voydanoff, P. (1992). Perceived adjustment of parents and children: Variations by family structure, race, and gender. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 54, 118-127.
13.
Gove, W. R., Hughes, M., & Style, C. B. (1983). Does marriage have positive effects on the psychological well-being of the individual? Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 24, 122-131.
14.
Gove, W. R., & Shin, H. (1989). The psychological well-being of divorced and widowed men and women. An empirical analysis. Journal of Family Issues, 10, 122-144.
15.
Hill, R. B. (1972). The strengths of Black families. New York: Emerson-Hall.
16.
Horwitz, A. V., White, H. R., & Howell-White, S. (1996). The use of multiple outcomes in stress research: A case study of gender differences in responses to marital dissolution. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 37, 278-291.
17.
Kincaid, S. B., & Caldwell, R. A. (1995). Marital separation: Causes, coping, and consequences. Journal of Divorce and Remarriage, 22, 109-128.
18.
Kitson, G. C., & Holmes, W. M. (1992). Portrait of divorce. New York: Guilford.
19.
Lawson, E. J., & Thompson, A. (1999). Black men and divorce. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
20.
Maneker, J. S., & Rankin, R. P. (1997). A comparison of couples completing and not completing marital dissolution in California. Journal of Divorce and Remarriage, 27, 51-60.
21.
Menaghan, E. G., & Lieberman, M. A. (1986). Changes in depression following divorce: A panel study. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 48, 319-328.
22.
Morgan, L. A. (1988). Outcomes of marital separation: A longitudinal test of predictors. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 50, 493-498.
23.
National Center for Health Statistics. (1995). Advance report of final marriage statistics, 1989 and 1990 (Monthly vital statistics report, Vol. 43, No. 12, Suppl.) Hyattsville, MD: Author.
24.
Pearlin, L. I., & Johnson, J. S. (1977). Marital status, life-strains and depression. American Sociological Review, 42, 704-715.
25.
Peters, M., & Deford, C. (1978). The solo mother. In R. Staples (Ed.), The Black family: Essays and studies (pp. 192-200). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
26.
Regier, D. A., Myers, J. K., Kramer, M., Robins, L. N., Blazer, D. G., Eaton, W. W., et al. (1984). The epidemiologic catchment area program. Archives of General Psychiatry, 41, 934-941.
27.
Riessman, C. K., & Gerstel, N. (1985). Marital dissolution and health: Do males or females have greater risk? Social Science and Medicine, 20, 627-635.
28.
Robins, L. N., Helzer, J. E., Croughan, J., & Ratcliff, K. S. (1981). The NIMH diagnostic interview schedule: Its history, characteristics, and validity. Archives of General Psychiatry, 38, 381-389.
29.
Robins, L. N., & Regier, D. A. (1991). Psychiatric disorders in America. The epidemiologic catchment area study. New York: Free Press.
30.
Smock, P. J. (1990). Remarriage patterns of Black and White women: Reassessing the role of educational attainment. Demography, 27, 467-473.
31.
Staples, R. (1982). Black masculinity: The Black male's role in American society. San Francisco: Black Scholar Press.
32.
Sweet, J., & Bumpass, L. (1987). American families and households. New York: Russell Sage.
33.
Weinberg, H., & McCarthy, J. (1993). Separation and reconciliation in American marriages. Journal of Divorce and Remarriage, 20, 21-42.
34.
Williams, D. R., Takeuchi, D. T., & Adair, R. K. (1992). Marital status and psychiatric disorders among Blacks and Whites. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 33, 140-157.
35.
Wilson, B. F., & Clarke, S. C. (1992). Remarriages. A demographic profile. Journal of Family Issues, 13, 123-141.
