Black-White Marriages

Hello, Baptist, Craig, and Nicholson (2019), found that the level of openness among interracial couples predicted their ability to deal with their experiences of discrimination and their perceived level of marital satisfaction. Openness is beneficial in marriage despite racial differences because it fosters increased levels of attachment and commitment (Baptist et al., 2019). Openness also acts as a protective measure against the lack of familial and social support felt by interracial couples (Baptist et al., 2019). The results revealed when couple discrimination was elevated, levels of marital satisfaction did not decrease when levels of openness were high (Baptist et al., 2019). However, couples whose level of openness was low, so was their level of marital satisfaction (Baptist et al., 2019). Even though interracial couples are at risk of discrimination, their ability to remain open about their experiences of discrimination can maintain and even reduce the likelihood of experiencing lowered levels of marital satisfaction (Baptist et al., 2019). This study illustrates that the grass is not always greener on the other side.

Baptist, J., Craig, B., & Nicholson, B. (2019). Black-white marriages: The moderating role of openness on experience of couple discrimination and marital satisfaction. Journal of  Marital and Family Therapy, 45(4), 635–649. https://doi.org/10.1111/jmft.12362