African American Family Structure

Abstract

This study addresses the following research questions: (a) What are the various types of family structures that exist in urban African American households? and (b) to what extent do differences in family structure influence social, psychological, and economic well-being as reported by urban African American women? The authors present findings from 301 African American women who participated in a community-based nutrition prevention program in a large Midwestern urban center. This study's results indicate that family structure has more influence on African American women's economic well-being than do social and psycho-logical factors. Implications of these findings for intervention are presented.