Marital transitions and changes in African American mothers' depressive symptoms: the buffering role of financial resources.
The effects of changes in marital status on the changes in depressive symptoms of 443 African American mothers from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 (NLSY) were examined. Results showed that those mothers who exited marriage increased in depressive symptoms relative to continuously married and newly married mothers. Moreover, mothers who entered marriage later experienced the same level of depressive symptoms as continuously married mothers. However, financial resources moderated the effects of marital transitions. Those mothers with more financial resources did not experience an increase in depressive symptoms after divorce, but those with fewer resources experienced a large increase. It was concluded that divorce is a risk factor for mental health concerns among African American mothers, but financial resources serve as a protective factor.
Varner
Fatima
F
Program in Human Development and Social Policy, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA. fvarner@u.northwestern.edu
Mandara
Jelani
J
D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D004243:Divorce / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004467:Economics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008393:Marriage / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires