Abstract
We examined patterns of marital well-being over the first 7 years of marriage and whether factors connected to early marital well-being during year 1 impacted marital well-being over time. Data were collected as part of a longitudinal panel study following 199 Black American and 174 White American during the first 7 years of marriage. Multilevel growth curve modeling revealed that race, income, and premarital child affected husbands’ marital well-being in year 1. Education, wives’ employment status, and divorced parents influenced wives’ marital well-being at year 1. After accounting for differences in these early marital conditions, having a child before marriage was significant in predicting the rates of change over time for husbands. Divorced parents affected the rate of change in marital well-being for wives. The findings suggest that as couples settle into their marriages, risk factors have fewer consequences on marital well-being.
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The research in this paper was supported in part by a grant from NICHD (HD40778) to the second author.
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Brown, E., Orbuch, T.L., Bauermeister, J.A. et al. Marital Well-Being Over Time Among Black and White Americans: The First Seven Years. J Afr Am St 17, 290–307 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12111-012-9234-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12111-012-9234-1