The Impact of Racial Discrimination on African American Fathers’ Intimate Relationships

Abstract

African Americans have a lower marriage rate and report lower relationship quality than whites. Experiencing stress associated with racial discrimination and financial strain may impact the intimate relationships of African American fathers, yet this topic is underexplored. We used a clinic-based sample of African American fathers in Baltimore, MD, and Washington, DC (N = 203), to examine (1) the relationship between socioeconomic factors and experiences of racial discrimination and (2) the extent to which racial discrimination, financial stress, and perceived stress are associated with marital status and intimate relationship quality for African American fathers. Education was positively associated with the racial discrimination, and relationship quality was negatively associated with perceived stress and racial discrimination. Perceived stress mediates the relationship between racial discrimination and relationship quality. Addressing interpersonal and institutional racism may impact relationship quality for African American men.