Perceived Admiration and Transition to Parenthood for Black and White Married Couples |
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| Authors: | Lance T. Peterson Terri L. Orbuch Edna Brown |
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| Affiliation: | 1. School of Social Work, St. Catherine University/University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minnesotapete2703@stthomas.edu;3. Department of Sociology, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan;4. Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan;5. Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut |
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| Abstract: | Perceived admiration was examined in this study as a mediator of marital quality and transition to parenthood among Black American and White American couples. Positive and negative dimensions of marital quality were assessed for husbands (n = 148) and wives (n = 155) during their 1st and 3rd years of marriage in a large-scale survey. Findings revealed that transitioning Black American husbands reported lower marital tension than transitioning White American husbands. Perceived admiration mediated the link between transition to parenthood and marital well-being for wives, and between transition to parenthood and marital tension for husbands. Results suggest that perceived admiration plays a critical role in understanding the transition to parenthood, regardless of race. Insights are offered for practitioners who provide relationship or parental counseling and education to couples during the transition to parenthood. |
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| Keywords: | transition to parenthood race gender marital quality marital virtues |
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