Chalandra M. Bryant’s research while affiliated with Bethel University (Minnesota) and other places

The transition to parenthood has long been viewed as a period of change in new parents’ romantic relationships. However, this research has largely focused on changes in relationship quality, generally overlooking changes in relationship status (e.g., ending or entering a relationship during this period). To address this gap, we explored patterns and predictors of relationship dissolution and relationship formation during the early postpartum period among a sample of first-time Black mothers. A community sample of mothers living with low incomes (N = 212; 10% married; 85% enrolled in Medicaid) reported on their relationship status and other characteristics at 1, 8, and 16 weeks postpartum. Among mothers who were in a relationship at 1 week postpartum (N = 126), 20% of these relationships ended by Week 8 or 16. Mothers whose relationships ended reported lower relationship functioning at Week 1 than mothers whose relationships remained intact. Among mothers who were single at 1 week postpartum (N = 86), over 50% subsequently reported being in a relationship at Week 8 or 16. Mothers who started relationships reported lower overall social support at Week 1 relative to mothers who remained single. Together, these findings indicate that changes in relationship status during the early postpartum period were common and provide initial insights into factors characterizing mothers who experienced relationship transitions. Future work would benefit from considering changes in relationship status as well as other relational changes during the transition to parenthood to reflect a wider range of experiences among new parents.

The COVID-19 pandemic was a socionatural disaster that unprecedentedly disrupted the daily lives of individuals, families, and communities. Prior research indicates that Black American men living in rural contexts, particularly in Southern parts of the United States of America, were disproportionately affected by the psychological and economic effects of the pandemic. Despite these disparities, few studies have examined the pandemic’s impact on rural Black American men’s social networks. This study aimed to explore the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on rural Black American men’s interpersonal relationships. Informed by the principles of critical ethnography and guided by van Manen’s hermeneutic phenomenology, seventeen men were interviewed using a semi-structured interview protocol. Interviews were transcribed and then analyzed using an iterative thematic reduction process consistent with van Manen’s approach. Four themes were generated: Familial Reorganization, Adaptive Fatherhood, Rona Romance, and Essential Community. Participants recounted how the pandemic motivated them to improve their relationships with family members and children but contributed additional stress to their romantic relationships. Participants further recounted how their friendships were the least impacted as they were willing to make exceptions to their normal protective protocols to socialize with close friends. Participants also noted feeling disconnected from their wider community because they could not attend church even though their religious beliefs remained unchanged. Findings highlight the need for scholars, clinicians, and policymakers to consider men’s relational health when developing and implementing pandemic recovery efforts, as it can significantly influence their ability to recuperate mentally and physically. Future research should be dedicated to (1) investigating the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on fathers, as prior research has nearly exclusively focused on mothers’ experiences and (2) delineating protective effects of rural Black American men’s involvement in the Black Church from their individual spiritualities to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the influence of contextual crisis on their long-term health and wellbeing.

The transition to parenthood can be a challenging time for the relationships of new parents and result in declines in relationship satisfaction. Although a robust literature has identified characteristics that predict changes in relationship satisfaction during this period, the relationships of Black mothers postpartum remain understudied. To address this gap, we examined a set of relational, individual, and external characteristics as predictors of relationship satisfaction trajectories over the first four months postpartum. First‐time Black mothers ( N = 93, 22.6% married, 52.7% cohabiting, 24.7% not cohabiting) reported on relational, individual, and external characteristics at 1 week postpartum and their relationship satisfaction at 1, 8, and 16 weeks postpartum. Mothers who reported more commitment and partner support were higher in initial satisfaction, as were mothers who were married or cohabiting with a partner (relative to mothers who were not cohabiting with their partner). Mothers with clinically significant depressive symptoms at 1 week postpartum had lower initial relationship satisfaction than mothers without clinically significant depressive symptoms. Mothers' sleep difficulties and experiences of racial discrimination were associated with changes in relationship satisfaction over time; mothers experiencing more sleep difficulties and racial discrimination experienced larger declines in satisfaction. These findings offer new insights into risk and protective factors associated with relationship satisfaction among Black mothers during the early postpartum period and can inform multicomponent interventions to enhance their relationship functioning.

Mistrust of the medical community lies not only in the shadows of history but also in the shadows of present day. As a consequence of that mistrust, African Americans are not as likely to seek the help of clinicians when experiencing challenges in their marriages; they underutilize the clinical/therapy route (Nightingale in J Fam Psychother 30(3):221–244, 2019). When strife emerges, some couples do seek professional help and use therapy as a way to mitigate couple distress (Lebow in in J Marital Fam Ther 38(1):145–168, 2012); however, others, particularly African Americans, tend to seek help from God, religious leaders, or friends (Tulane in Marriage Fam Rev 47(5):289–310, 2011; Vaterlaus in Contemp Fam Ther 37(1):22–32, 2015). One study reported that less than 10% of African Americans in their sample sought therapy as a means of dealing with marital problems (Vaterlaus in Contemp Fam Ther 37(1):22–32, 2015). Although much is known about help-seeking behaviors, that research is largely centered around samples of White couples; relatively, little is known about help-seeking among marginalized married populations. We aim to fill this gap in the literature. This topic is important because relational distress is negatively associated with mental health and negatively associated with general well-being (Lakey in Psychol Rev 118(3):482–495, 2011). In 2016, over one million African Americans experienced depression, and only 6 out of 10 who met criteria for depression received treatment (for review, see Nguyen in J Affect Dis 253:1–7, 2019). Given the connections between relational distress and mental health, exploring what couples (particularly African American couples) do when they are experiencing relational strife is critical.

Veerkracht wordt op verschillende manieren gedefinieerd. Afgezien van enige nuanceverschillen zijn de meeste onderzoekers en leken het erover eens dat veerkracht in de breedste zin van het woord een positieve reactie op tegenspoed is. Veerkracht is een proces, maar veerkrachtig is een uitkomst. De discussie over de procesuitkomst levert een wat gekunstelde tweedeling op. De afgelopen jaren is gepoogd om de kennis van onderzoekers en behandelaars over het begrip veerkracht uit te breiden met een grotere mate van complexiteit. Dit gebeurt met name door aandacht te vestigen op de invloed van contextuele factoren op de vaardigheid waarmee iemand zich onder moeilijke omstandigheden aanpast. Aandacht voor de contextuele factoren betekent een herziening van het concept veerkracht. Ras is context, evenals de omgeving waarin iemand verkeert. Veel Afro-Amerikanen in risicovolle omstandigheden worden negatief beïnvloed door hun eigen veerkrachtproces. Het is goed mogelijk dat het veerkrachtproces een bijdrage levert aan de allostatische belasting en veroudering. Voor veel Afro-Amerikanen heeft het volharden en slagen in een wereld vol tegenslag geleid tot ernstige gezondheidsproblemen. Deze problemen kunnen door medisch gezinstherapeuten behandeld worden via de klinische, financiële, operationele en educatieve wereld.

Older women are often described as being asexual and uninterested in sex or intimacy (McHugh & Interligi, 2015). Thus, most research examining older couples describes those couples as primarily enjoying companionate or compassionate love – a type of love reflecting care and concern for another person (Allen et al., 2018). Unlike companionate or compassionate love, passionate love refers to a “state of intense longing for union with another” (Hatfield & Rapson, 1993, p. 67). Relatively little is known about passionate love and older couples (Hatfield & Rapson, 1993); moreover, far less is known about passionate love among African American older couples. Using data collected from African American couples (332 couples aged 20 to 39 and 90 couples aged 40 to 79), Actor-Partner Interdependence Models were used. For both age groups, 20 to 39 and 40 to 79, husbands’ and wives’ reports of marital quality were significantly associated with each other at Time 1. Husbands’ and wives’ reports of passionate love (assessed at Time 2) were not significantly associated with each other – for either age group under study. Cross paths (partner effects) were not significant for either of the two age groups; wives’ marital quality (Time 1) did not significantly predict husbands’ passionate love (Time 2), nor did husbands’ marital quality (Time 1) predict wives passionate love (Time 2). It is important to note that the older and younger age groups exhibited a similar pattern of results, suggesting that passion and physical intimacy may operate in similar ways for both.

Recent events in the United States (particularly those occurring during the latter part of 2020 and early part of 2021), evoked stress: a pandemic killing millions; racially motivated assaults, in addition to other hate crimes; and social unrest, sparked by heinous injustices. Many events occurred earlier. We cannot say that these events evoked feelings of stress in everyone, lest we forget that stress is about perceptions. One must perceive an event (or circumstance) as being a stressor. While these events left some families traumatized and immobile, those same events energized and mobilized others (in both positive and negative ways). Thus, it is a fitting time in our history to focus on stress. In this chapter, we (1) provide a historical overview of stress theories and models; (2) underscore challenges and shifts in family science that led to variations in those models; (3) highlight the revisioning of core assumptions; and (4) discuss future directions. Throughout the chapter we draw attention to emerging areas of research.

Resilience is defined in different ways. Though there are nuanced differences, most scholars and laypersons alike agree that in its broadest sense, resilience is a positive response to adversity. Resilience is a process; whereas, resilient is an outcome. The process-outcome debate generates a somewhat contrived dichotomy. In recent years, there have been notable attempts to add a greater level of complexity to scientists’ and practitioners’ understanding of resilience by underscoring the impact of contextual factors on an individual’s ability to adapt under dire circumstances. Addressing contextual factors involves revisioning the concept of resilience. Race is context; so, too is the environment in which individuals are embedded. Many Black Americans in high-risk environments may be adversely affected by their own processes of resilience. The process of resilience may very well contribute to allostatic load and weathering. For many Black Americans, persevering and thriving in the face of pervasive adversity has led to significant health challenges—challenges that Medical Family Therapists can address through clinical, financial, operational, and training worlds.