Race Differences in the Mental Health Effects of Divorce

Abstract

Some research reports that divorce exerts greater negative effects on the mental health of Whites compared with African Americans. However, this literature is limited by inadequate attention to temporal dimensions of marital dissolution, in particular stages of the process and duration in each stage. This study incorporates stage and duration into an examination of race differences in the effects of marital dissolution on symptoms of depression and substance abuse or dependence. Data are drawn from the 1983 Piedmont Health Survey (PHS) of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Epidemiologic Catchment Area Program ( N = 1,941). Results suggest that the mental health effects of marital dissolution are not weaker for African Americans; rather, the nature and timing of the effects vary by race. Furthermore, gender interacts with race to influence the impact of separation and divorce on mental health.