Racism-Related Stress, Dyadic Coping, and Relationship Quality in Black Couples

Abstract:Scholars have historically explained relationship dynamics of Black couples using White middle-class models, ignoring minority-specific stressors. Few relationship models that consider the impact of racism on relationship outcomes have been proposed or tested. We test Bryant et al.'s (2010) conceptual framework by examining mediation and moderation effects of partner's attributions and racism-related stress on dyadic coping and relationship quality. Data from 97 Black individuals in committed relationships suggests that those who experienced frequent daily discrimination and tended to blame their partner for their stress-related behaviors, were more likely to engage in mutual support and report more positive qualities of the relationship.