The goal of this study was to examine the links of communal coping to relationship and well-being outcomes in the context of racial discrimination. First, we examined the relation of discrimination to relationship outcomes in a sample of 138 African Americans. Second, we examined whether communal coping (i.e., shared appraisal, collaboration, disclosure) and partner race buffered the link of discrimination to both relationship and well-being outcomes. Results showed that discrimination was associated with adverse relationship outcomes for three of the four measures. Appraising discrimination as a shared problem was related to positive relationship outcomes, whereas collaboration buffered the negative relation between discrimination and positive relationship outcomes. In examining partner race, results showed that collaboration exerted a buffering effect in different-race but not same-race relationships. Future research should attempt to understand the pitfalls of coping with discrimination in same-race relationships where both persons are equally likely to face the same stressor.
AfifiT.DavisS.MerrillA. F.CoveleskiS.DenesA.AfifiW. (2015). In the wake of the great recession: Economic uncertainty, communication, and biological stress responses in families. Human Communication Research, 41(2), 268–302. https://doi.org/10.1111/hcre.12048
2.
AfifiT. D.AfifiW. A.MerrillA. F.NimahN. (2016). ‘Fractured communities’: Uncertainty, stress, and (a lack of) communal coping in Palestinian refugee camps. Journal of Applied Communication Research, 44(4), 343–361. https://doi.org/10.1080/00909882.2016.1225166
3.
AfifiW. A.FelixE. D.AfifiT. D. (2012). The impact of uncertainty and communal coping on mental health following natural disasters. Anxiety, Stress & Coping, 25(3), 329–347. https://doi.org/10.1080/10615806.2011.603048
4.
AndresenE. M.MalmgrenJ. A.CarterW. B.PatrickD. L. (1994). Screening for depression in well older adults: Evaluation of a short form of the CES-D (center for epidemiologic studies depression scale). American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 10(2), 77–84.
5.
BellG. C.HastingsS. O. (2011). Black and white interracial couples: Managing relational disapproval through facework. Howard Journal of Communications, 22(3), 240–259. https://doi.org/10.1080/10646175.2011.590405
6.
BrondoloE.Brady Ver HalenN.PencilleM.BeattyD.ContradaR. J. (2009). Coping with racism: A selective review of the literature and a theoretical and methodological critique. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 32(1), 64–88. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-008-9193-0
7.
BuckA. A.NeffL. A. (2012). Stress spillover in early marriage: The role of self-regulatory depletion. Journal of Family Psychology: JFP: journal of the Division of Family Psychology of the American Psychological Association (Division 43), 26(5), 698–708. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0029260
8.
ClavélF. D.CutronaC. E.RussellD. W. (2017). United and divided by stress: How stressors differentially influence social support in african American couples over time. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 43(7), 1050–1064. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167217704195
9.
CoxD. W.BaughL. M.McCloskeyK. D.IyarM. (2019). Social causation or social erosion? Evaluating the association between social support and PTSD among veterans in a transition program. Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health, 5(1), 71–79. https://doi.org/10.3138/jmvfh.2017-0040
10.
DavisS. M.HighA. C. (2019). Widening the gap: Support gaps in same race versus different race female friendship dyads. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 36(1), 187–213. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407517722245
11.
DienerE.EmmonsR. A.LarsenR. J.GriffinS. (1985). The satisfaction with life scale. Journal of Personality Assessment, 49(1), 71–75. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa4901_13
12.
DolezsarC. M.McGrathJ. J.HerzigA. J. M.MillerS. B. (2014). Perceived racial discrimination and hypertension: A comprehensive systematic review. Health Psychology: Official Journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association, 33(1), 20–34. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0033718
13.
FeketeE. M.StephensM. A. P.MickelsonK. D.DruleyJ. A. (2007). Couples’ support provision during illness: The role of perceived emotional responsiveness. Families, Systems & Health, 25(2), 204–217. https://doi.org/10.1037/1091-7527.25.2.204
14.
FromA.BanksJ.EdelsteinR. S. (2024). Partner support behaviors and relationship quality in interracial and intraracial Black romantic relationships. Personal Relationships, 31(3), 796–815. https://doi.org/10.1111/pere.12562
15.
GencE.BaptistJ. (2020). Muslim couples: The effects of perceived religion-based discrimination on relationship satisfaction. Journal of Muslim Mental Health, 14(2), 87–107. https://doi.org/10.3998/jmmh.10381607.0014.204
16.
GeronimusD. A. T. (2023). Weathering: The extraordinary stress of ordinary life in an unjust society. Little Brown Spark.
17.
HelgesonV. S.JakubiakB.SeltmanH.HausmannL.KorytkowskiM. (2017). Implicit and explicit communal coping in couples with recently diagnosed type 2 diabetes. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 34(7), 1099–1121. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407516669604
18.
HelgesonV. S.JakubiakB.Van VleetM.ZajdelM. (2018). Communal coping and adjustment to chronic illness: Theory update and evidence. Personality and Social Psychology Review: An Official Journal of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc, 22(2), 170–195. https://doi.org/10.1177/1088868317735767
JacobG.FaberS. C.FaberN.BartlettA.OuimetA. J.WilliamsM. T. (2023). A systematic review of Black people coping with racism: Approaches, analysis, and empowerment. Perspectives on Psychological Science: A Journal of the Association for Psychological Science, 18(2), 392–415. https://doi.org/10.1177/17456916221100509
21.
KillianK. D. (2003). Homogamy outlaws: Interracial couples’ strategic responses to racism and to partner differences. Journal of Couple & Relationship Therapy, 2(2–3), 3–21. https://doi.org/10.1300/J398v02n02_02
22.
LavnerJ. A.BartonA. W.BryantC. M.BeachS. R. H. (2018). Racial discrimination and relationship functioning among african american couples. Journal of Family Psychology: JFP: journal of the Division of Family Psychology of the American Psychological Association (Division 43), 32(5), 686–691. https://doi.org/10.1037/fam0000415.supp
23.
LincolnK. D.ChaeD. H. (2010). Stress, marital satisfaction, and psychological distress among african Americans. Journal of Family Issues, 31(8), 1081–1105. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513X10365826
24.
LockwoodK. G.MarslandA. L.MatthewsK. A.GianarosP. J. (2018). Perceived discrimination and cardiovascular health disparities: A multisystem review and health neuroscience perspective. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1428(1), 170–207. https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.13939
25.
LyonsR.MickelsonK.SullivanM.CoyneJ. (1998). Coping as a communal process. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 15(5), 579–605. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407598155001
26.
MarshburnC. K.CamposB. (2022). Seeking just us: A mixed methods investigation of racism-specific support among Black college students. Journal of Black Psychology, 48(1), 67–99. https://doi.org/10.1177/00957984211034961
27.
MurdockM. R.WoodN. D. (2022). Racism-related stress, dyadic coping, and relationship quality in Black couples. Journal of Black Sexuality and Relationships, 9(1–2), 43–61. https://doi.org/10.1353/bsr.2022.0012
28.
NadalK. L. (2011). The racial and ethnic microaggressions scale (REMS): Construction, reliability, and validity. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 58(4), 470–480. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0025193
29.
ParadiesY.BenJ.DensonN.EliasA.PriestN.PieterseA.GuptaA.KelaherM.GeeG. (2015). Racism as a determinant of health: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS One, 10(9), Article e0138511. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0138511
30.
PascoeE. A.Smart RichmanL. (2009). Perceived discrimination and health: A meta-analytic review. Psychological Bulletin, 135(4), 531–554. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0016059.supp
31.
PerkinsT.DurkeeM.BanksJ.Ribero-BrownB. (2022). Gender and racial identity moderate the effects of online and offline discrimination on mental health. Journal of Research on Adolescence: The Official Journal of the Society for Research on Adolescence, 32(1), 244–253. https://doi.org/10.1111/jora.12717
32.
RenP.QinX.ZhangY.ZhangR. (2018). Is social support a cause or consequence of depression? A longitudinal study of adolescents. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 1634. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01634
33.
RiceT. M.JenkinsA. I. C.SmithS. M.AlexanderC.McGregorC. M. (2023). Racial discrimination and romantic relationship dynamics among Black Americans: A systematic review. Journal of Family Theory & Review, 15(4), 793–821. https://doi.org/10.1111/jftr.12535
34.
RoseA. J. (2021). The costs and benefits of Co‐rumination. Child Development Perspectives, 15(3), 176–181. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdep.12419
35.
SchmittM. T.BranscombeN. R.PostmesT.GarciaA. (2014). The consequences of perceived discrimination for psychological well-being: A meta-analytic review. Psychological Bulletin, 140(4), 921–948. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0035754
36.
Smart RichmanL.PekJ.PascoeE.BauerD. J. (2010). The effects of perceived discrimination on ambulatory blood pressure and affective responses to interpersonal stress modeled over 24 hours. Health Psychology: Official Journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association, 29(4), 403–411. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0019045
37.
ThelamourB.George MwangiC.EzeoforI. (2019). “We need to stick together for survival”: Black college students’ racial identity, same-ethnic friendships, and campus connectedness. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 12(3), 266–279. https://doi.org/10.1037/dhe0000104
38.
Torres-HardingS. R.AndradeA. L.Jr.Romero DiazC. E. (2012). The racial microaggressions scale (RMAS): A new scale to measure experiences of racial microaggressions in people of color. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 18(2), 153–164. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0027658
WeberD. M.LavnerJ. A.BeachS. R. H. (2023). Couples’ communication quality differs by topic. Journal of Family Psychology: JFP: journal of the Division of Family Psychology of the American Psychological Association (Division 43), 37(6), 909–919. https://doi.org/10.1037/fam0001111
41.
WoffordN.DefeverA. M.ChopikW. J. (2019). The vicarious effects of discrimination: How partner experiences of discrimination affect individual health. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 10(1), 121–130. https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550617746218
Supplementary Material
Please find the following supplemental material available below.
For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.
For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.
