African American Couples Research Articles

0734 Early Life Trauma Impacts Adult’s Sleep Valuation in a Sample of African American Couples

0734 Early Life Trauma Impacts Adult’s Sleep Valuation in a Sample of African American Couples

Sanctification of African American Couple Relationships and Relational Forgiveness

AbstractObjectiveUsing participant responses from 525 different‐sex married and cohabiting African American couples, we examined the dyadic association between relational sanctification and relational forgiveness.BackgroundReligion has a central role in the lives of many African Americans because it traditionally has been a place of refuge against stressors that disproportionally impact African Americans. However, little is known about how African American couples utilize relational sanctification as a strength.MethodData were collected from African American couples between October 2019 and January 2020 as part of a larger study called the Strong African American Couples Project. Utilizing dyadic panels from Qualtrics, this project specifically targeted African American couples who were cohabiting (n = 233) or married (n = 292) thus, enabling us to analyze a multigroup actor–partner interdependence model.ResultsSignificant actor effects were found between sanctification and individual as well as perceived partner forgiveness in married and cohabiting couple relationships. No significant partner effects were found.ConclusionThese findings highlight the importance of recognizing various aspects of religiosity and spirituality within relationships, especially for African American couples with historically high rates of dissolution and self‐rated religiosity.ImplicationsAs interventionalists work with religious and spiritual African American couples, they need to understand the role that sanctity may have within these partner relationships and the positive impact it can have on relational outcomes.

From Organizing Medicine to Cooking With More Leafy Greens: A Dyadic, Qualitative Analysis of How Older African American Couples Take Care of Each Other's Health.

Guided by the Dyadic Theory of Illness Management, we explored spousal health management behaviors and their congruence within seventeen older African American married couples participating in a dyadic exercise intervention. Both prior to and after the intervention, spouses reported how they took care of their partner's health as well as what their partner did for them. Data were analyzed using theoretical thematic analysis, and five health management behaviors domains were identified (diet, exercise, self-care, medical compliance, relationship maintenance). Both partners were most likely to encourage healthier diets and exercise. Wives tended to report more behaviors compared to husbands. Couples had little congruence in their appraisals of each other's health management behaviors, and patterns were stable over time. Findings suggest incongruence in couples' health management behaviors represented complementary, collaborative efforts to support each other and that husbands may underestimate how much care they both provide to and receive from their wives.

Relational Help-Seeking Among Newlywed African American Couples

Relational Help-Seeking Among Newlywed African American Couples

Passionate Love: A Study of Older African American Couples

Passionate Love: A Study of Older African American Couples

Debunking the Stigma: Solution Focused Brief Therapy With African American Couples: A Case Study 🇵🇱 🇷🇴

Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) allows both therapist and clients to place emphasis on future goals and changing the stigmatic perception for seeking mental help without attention to the conflict. SFBT is a culturally appropriate model that can be used with African American couples. This paper provides a case study of working with an African American couple and the important considerations taken. Polish abstract (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1loZOb_BSehs1ZseWkrgQy3dJ40J4ncdt/view?usp=drive_link) Romanian abstract (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tbYdrW9MkhZ11FKEzG-wAoVENe4fINQ8/view?usp=drive_link)

Cultural Considerations for using Emotionally Focused Therapy with African American Couples

ABSTRACT Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) is a theoretical approach that is considered widely effective in decreasing relationship distress among couples. Emotionally Focused Therapy uses deepening of the clients’ emotions to facilitate change to break negative interactional patterns within couple relationships. However, African American men have developed some behaviors and attitudes about emotions that may present challenges to them receiving Emotionally Focused Therapy. Some of those behaviors and beliefs include alexithymia and emotion ideologies which include restricting emotion based on their experience with societal stressors (e.g., race-based trauma, system racism). Given this emotional discrepancy, there are social and cultural considerations that need to be addressed between African American individuals in order to conduct effective couple work. This paper discusses emotional expressiveness and culturally sensitive approaches that EFT therapists will need to consider when counseling African American men in couples therapy.

The Relational Wear and Tear of Everyday Racism Among African American Couples

The wear and tear of adapting to chronic stressors such as racism and discrimination can have detrimental effects on mental and physical health. Here, we investigated the wider implications of everyday racism for relationship quality in an adult sample of 98 heterosexual African American couples. Participants reported on their experiences of racial discrimination and positive and negative affect for 21 consecutive evenings. Using dyadic analyses, we found that independently of age, gender, marital status, income, racial-discrimination frequency, neuroticism, and mean levels of affect, participants’ relationship quality was inversely associated with their partner’s negative affective reactivity to racial discrimination. Associations did not vary by gender, suggesting that the effects of affective reactivity were similar for men and women. These findings highlight the importance of a dyadic approach and call for further research examining the role of everyday racism as a key source of stress in the lives of African American couples.

African American Couples' Experiences during an Exercise Intervention Interrupted by the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Case Study.

Exercise intervention researchers often struggle to transition participants from supervised/laboratory-based exercise to independent exercise. Research to inform this critical juncture remains underdeveloped. This qualitative case study investigated the transition from laboratory-based to home-based training in a subset of middle-aged and older African American couples whose exercise intervention experience was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. All four couples (N = 8) whose study participation was interrupted participated in dyadic interviews by videoconference. Two investigators independently reviewed verbatim transcripts, and then used an iterative open coding approach to identify themes from the qualitative data. Three main themes were identified: (1) resistance training program modifications, (2) partner interactions, and (3) external pandemic-related factors. Each theme included both positive and negative feedback related to participants’ experiences. Overall, virtual, home-based training appeared acceptable and feasible in this group. Further research is needed to investigate the utility of virtual training to effectively transition participants from laboratory-based to independent exercise.

Relational Sanctity as a Contributor to Forgiveness: Dyadic Data From Older African American Couples

Although research finds that healthy romantic relationships can provide several benefits in older adulthood, few studies examine the relational characteristics of older African American couples. Further, despite positive associations between religiosity and age, particularly among African Americans, a dearth of dyadic data consider the importance of religious constructs within the relationships of older African Americans. To address this gap, this study utilized dyadic data from the Strong African American Couples Project to examine the interconnection between relational sanctity and forgiveness among married and cohabiting older African American couples. A total of 194 African American couples (146 married and 48 cohabiting) aged 50 to 86 years were included in the analysis, and Actor Partner Independence Models were used to test the relational effects of sanctity and forgiveness. Findings revealed that no significant effects existed when women’s relational sanctity was the predictor variable. However, men’s relational sanctity had a significant positive association with both his own forgiveness of his partner and his perception of his partner’s forgiveness. These findings have valuable implications for professionals engaging older African American couples. First, this study helps to counter the often deficit-focused literature on African American couples by highlighting the potentially stabilizing influence of viewing one’s relationship as sacred. Second, this study offers a rare glimpse into the aspects of men’s religiosity that may be more consequential than women’s. Both practitioners and clergy could use this information to inform counseling efforts that seek to build on the strengths of married and cohabiting older African American couples.

Holy and Helping: The Role of Sanctification in the Communal Coping of Older African American Couples

Disproportionately affected by numerous relational stressors (e.g., financial strain, morbidity), older African American couples frequently find solace in religion and each other. Research notes that both married and cohabiting couples effectively respond to difficult situations by sharing the ownership of a stressor and organizing a collaborative, collective response. However, little is known about the influence of religion on shared coping experiences, particularly among older African American couples. This study examined dyadic data from the Strong African American Couples Project to capture the influence of relational sanctification on the communal coping practices of married and cohabiting older African American couples. The sample included 194 African American couples (146 married and 48 cohabiting) between the ages of 50 and 86 years. With the use of Actor Partner Independence Models, this study found that men’s sanctification predicted both their own communal coping and their partner’s communal coping. However, there were no significant effects when women’s sanctification was used as a predictor of communal coping among older African American couples. These findings are both important and novel, because these relationships had never before been examined within the United States, much less among older African American couples. Similar to existing research among majority White couples, this research finds that men’s religiosity may be a more influential predictor of relational outcomes than women’s religiosity. Such findings offer a valuable foundation for future studies seeking to consider how relational sanctification and communal coping may impact other outcomes associated with the romantic relationships of older African Americans.

Can Working Together Buffer Depression Among Older, Religious African American Couples?

Depression is a growing concern among older African Americans, as many within this group hesitate to seek professional help from psychiatrists or counselors. Instead, existing literature notes that older African Americans frequently utilize informal social support networks (e.g., church leaders) to respond to stress and buffer the negative effects of depression and depressive symptoms. Yet, little is known about the shared coping practices of older African American couples in relation to depression. Given the commonly noted high levels of religiosity among African Americans, this study examined communal coping as a mediator between sanctification and depression for older African American couples. This study utilized the dyadic data of 194 (146 married and 48 cohabiting) African American couples between the ages of 50 and 86 years. Capturing data with the Revised Sanctification of Marriage scale, the Communal Coping scale, and the Major Depression Inventory, bias-corrected bootstrap analysis revealed that men’s relationship sanctification and women’s depression was partially mediated by men’s, as well as the sum of men’s and women’s, communal coping in married couples. Further, men’s relationship sanctification and men’s depression was partially mediated by men’s, as well as the sum of men’s and women’s, communal coping. In addition, women’s sanctification was positively associated with men’s depression, directly. These findings are valuable in understanding the complex buffers, and contributors, to depression among older African American couples who may identify closely with religion but prefer the support of a partner over professional care.

An Integrative Counseling Approach for African American Couples With Prostate Cancer

The experiences of African American couples facing prostate cancer include cancer concerns that intersect with sexuality, older age, and culture. We provide a review of concerns and counseling strategies and present an integrative approach through a case study. Future research on testing such approaches is encouraged.

Better Together? A Pilot Study of Romantic Partner Influence on Exercise Adherence and Cardiometabolic Risk in African-American Couples.

BackgroundAfrican-Americans (AAs) have higher rates of inactivity, obesity, and cardiometabolic risk compared to other races/ethnicities. Romantic partners can positively influence health habits, yet whether or not couples have to exercise together in order to adopt regular exercise remains unclear. This study examined whether exercising together influences exercise adherence and cardiometabolic risk in AA couples.MethodsNine AA romantic couples (age 62.8 ± 7.7 years; body mass index 31.0 ± 4.4 kg/m2; 6105 ± 1689 average steps/day) completed a 12-week walking (≥ 30 min, 3 days/week) plus resistance training (RT; 2 days/week) pilot intervention. Couples were randomized to either exercise together (ET) or separately (ES). Waist and hip circumferences, iDXA-measured body composition, blood pressure, and blood biomarkers (glucose, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, triglycerides, C-reactive protein, and fibrinogen) were assessed pre- and post-intervention. Independent-sample t tests and generalized linear mixed models, controlling for gender, were used to analyze data. Significance was accepted at P < 0.05.ResultsThere were no significant group × time interactions for any outcome. However, ET trended toward more walking (86.5 ± 57.7 min/week) than ES (66.1 ± 31.7 min/week). There were also significant overall time effects for waist circumference (P < 0.001), body fat (P = 0.020), fat mass (P = 0.007), gynoid fat (P = 0.041), HbA1c (P = 0.020), and HDL (P = 0.047), where all variables decreased.ConclusionsTrends showed exercising together may promote walking prescription adherence, although more research is needed in a larger sample. This intervention may also improve cardiometabolic risk factors in this population. These pilot data will inform the current investigators’ future exercise intervention research in AA adult dyads.

Can Interventions that Strengthen Couples' Relationships Confer Additional Benefits for their Health? A Randomized Controlled Trial with African American Couples.

This study examined the effects of the Protecting Strong African American Families (ProSAAF) prevention program on adults' self-reported health outcomes 25months after enrollment. ProSAAF is a couple-focused prevention program specifically designed to meet the needs of African-American families residing in the rural South. African-American couples (N = 346) with an early adolescent child participated in a randomized controlled trial of the program. Dyadic data analyses indicated significant direct effects on changes in couple functioning post-intervention as well as significant indirect effects of ProSAAF on changes in health through post-intervention improvements in couple functioning. These benefits were documented for men's and women's general health, depressive symptoms, and problematic sleep. There were no significant direct effects of ProSAAF participation on changes in health. Findings provide tempered optimism regarding the potential benefits of couple-focused programming for adults' physical, mental, and behavioral health.

Effect Of Exercise On Cardiovascular Risk Factors In Older African American Couples: A Pilot Study

Effect Of Exercise On Cardiovascular Risk Factors In Older African American Couples: A Pilot Study

Engaging a Community Advisory Board to Inform an Exercise Intervention in Older African-American Couples.

This paper describes our approach to forming and engaging a community advisory board (CAB) to assist in the development of a proposed exercise intervention pilot study. The intervention aimed to examine the effects of exercise on exercise adherence, the provision of partner support and receptivity to partner health influence, and cardiometabolic risk in older African-American romantic couples. CAB invitations were extended to local community members and leaders who had a stake in the health of the target population. Seven individuals accepted the invitation andattended at least one of two CAB meetingsduring which we proposed ideas for the exercise intervention pilot study, then solicited CAB input in four key areas related to the study including: (1) priority health concerns of the target population, (2) the intervention protocol and methodologies, (3) cultural relevance, and (4) sustainability. Two investigators jointly led both CAB meetings, which lasted approximately 3h each. Recorded community feedback was summarized and coded using a thematic analysis approach. Themes were identified and agreed upon within the fourareas identified above. Overall, the proposed study was well-received by the CAB and considered beneficial forand relevant tothe target population. Although not all suggestions put forth by the CAB were feasible given the inherent limitations of pilot work, we made multiple study modifications as a result of CAB recommendations. Further, all CAB feedback helped inform plans to launch the intervention on a larger scale and were vital in ensuring that the pilot study was valued in the local community. Although community-based participatory research that originates within a community may be preferable, we demonstrate the utility of a community-partnered approach to intervention design in a vulnerable population. This model could assist researchers who wish to engage the local community to help develop a preliminary idea for a health-related intervention.

Abstract P311: Engagement of a Community Advisory Board Informs an Exercise Intervention in Older African-American Couples

Introduction: Older African-Americans (AA) are vulnerable to cardiometabolic health disparities. As physical inactivity is highly prevalent in this population and regular exercise can help mitigate cardiometabolic disease, collaborations between the local community and academic researchers are needed to create sustainable exercise interventions. To this end, the current investigators formed a community advisory board (CAB) to consult on an interdisciplinary pilot intervention study that would examine the effects of couples-based resistance training plus walking on: 1) exercise adherence; 2) cardiometabolic risk factors (abdominal obesity, blood pressure, insulin resistance, hemoglobin A1c, high-density lipoprotein and total cholesterol, triglycerides, C-reactive protein, fibrinogen); and 3) the provision of partner support and receptivity to partner health influence in older AA romantic couples. Hypothesis: CAB consultation would enhance the proposed pilot study methods and facilitate community engagement. Methods: Seven local community members/leaders with a stake in the health of the AA community were invited to participate in two CAB meetings. In the meetings, investigators proposed ideas to pilot a novel exercise intervention in older AA couples and solicited input in four key areas: 1) priority health concerns of the target population; 2) the proposed study protocol; 3) cultural relevance; 4) and sustainability. Recorded responses were summarized and coded using a qualitative thematic analysis approach. Results: Multiple themes surfaced within each of the four focus areas including confirmation of the need to study cardiometabolic disease risk (e.g. hypertension, diabetes) in this population, potential recruitment challenges and suggestions to relax exclusion criteria, exclusion of potentially beneficial program components (e.g. flexibility training, education), the need for culturally-specific adaptations (e.g. incorporating music, providing AA role models), and long-term community engagement (i.e. future efforts to launch the intervention at the community level). Investigators made multiple study modifications per CAB recommendations. Conclusions: CAB feedback suggested the proposed intervention would be well-received and considered both beneficial and relevant by the community. CAB-recommended study modifications underscore the value of a community-partnered approach to intervention design that promotes cultural relevance and sustainability. These characteristics support the ultimate goal of reducing cardiometabolic health disparities in AA communities. Although the investigators recognize the current method deviates from true community-based participatory research that originates within a community, the model presented is beneficial as it engages the community in the developmental stage of evidence-based research.

African American Couples in the 21st Century: Using Integrative Systemic Therapy (IST) to Translate Science into Practice.

The complexity of the African American community in the United States continues to evolve. The growing number of professional African Americans who grew up in the postcivil rights era combined with the persistent reminders of inequity paints a complex backdrop for understanding African American relationships. The majority of our knowledge about African American couples disproportionately comes from nonclinical social science fields such as sociology and demography. Unfortunately, the scholarly literature on how to work with African American couples is relatively scant. This paper seeks to add to this limited literature by providing clinicians and scholars with a proposed set of issues to consider when conceptualizing and treating African American couples. In particular, the complexity and nuance needed to work with African American couples are best done by using an integrative model. Thus, this paper will discuss how the Integrative Systemic Therapy (IST) model is particularly well suited for working with African American couples. This paper will summarize the science on African American marriages with a focus on salient factors such as gender, SES, and trust, which will then be translated into clinical practice by utilizing a case example. The case example will be of a middle-class couple in order to delineate the challenges and the growing heterogeneity of African Americans. The article will conclude with a commentary on the evolving heterogeneity of African Americans, which sheds light on how an integrative perspective is important for disentangling and embracing the growing complexity of African American couples.

Emotionally Focused Therapy: A Culturally Sensitive Approach for African American Heterosexual Couples

ABSTRACTThis article discusses unique considerations for a culturally sensitive emotionally focused therapy (EFT) for African American couples. EFT is an empirically supported treatment that significantly reduces relationship distress, yet efficacy with diverse populations remains unknown. African Americans’ chronic exposure to racism and discrimination creates a cumulative racial stress that negatively impacts their couple relationships. We propose a racially sensitive intervention for African American couples that addresses five considerations most salient for successful EFT treatment: the impact of racial stress, client trust of the therapist, gender-role expectations, and racial–gender views of emotionality and vulnerability. A case study illustrates this approach.