This annotated bibliography provides healthy marriage and relationship education (HMRE) practitioners and researchers with a summary of the research conducted to date on the effectiveness of HMRE programs for Blacka couples. Specifically, it has two goals:
- Identify studies of HMRE programs and their participants that examine economic stability and mental health as predictors or outcomes of Black couples’ relationships.
- Describe other basic research questions that have been explored using data from HMRE programs with Black participants.
The annotated bibliography also provides key reflections and recommendations for future research and practice.
Broadly, many Black Americans value romantic partnerships, marriage, and children, and many Black couples and children can and do thrive across diverse types of family structures.1 HMRE research and practice should prioritize Black families’ inherent cultural and familial strengths while also acknowledging the role of socially structured oppression and racial discrimination that affect the intersecting experiences of family formation, economic success, and mental health among Black families. The studies included in this annotated bibliography describe a range of HMRE programs, with a focus on program design, implementation, and outcomes for Black families. By using this resource, HMRE researchers and practitioners will be better positioned to access and apply research-based guidance for supporting Black families through HMRE.
This brief was created by the Marriage Strengthening Research & Dissemination Center, a partnership between Child Trends, the National Center for Family & Marriage Research at Bowling Green State University, and Public Strategies.
a Throughout the Introduction, Background, and Reflections sections, we use the term Black to be inclusive of people who are Black but may have been born outside the United States or who otherwise do not identify as African or American. However, elsewhere in this annotated bibliography, we use the term African American when that is the language used in the research being cited.
Dickerson, T., Gyan, E., Scott, M. E., Shelton, R. & Kim, L. (2023). An Annotated Bibliography on Research That Explores Black Families’ Participation in Healthy Marriage and Relationship Education, Economic Stability, and Positive Mental Health. Marriage Strengthening Research and Dissemination Center. https://mastresearchcenter.org/mast-center-research/an-annotated-bibliography-on-research-that-explores-black-families-participation-in-healthy-marriage-and-relationship-education-economic-stability-and-positive-mental-health
1. Lloyd, C., Alvira-Hammond, M., & Carlson, J. (2021). Family, economic, and geographic characteristics of Black families with children. Black Children & Families, Child Trends. https://www.childtrends.org/publications/family-economic-and-geographic-characteristics-of-black-families-with-children
The authors would like to thank the Steering Committee of the Marriage Strengthening Research and Dissemination Center (MAST Center), Maria Ramos-Olazagasti, and Katie Pahigiannis for their feedback on earlier drafts of this brief, as well as Aiyanna Kimble and Laura Ramirez for their research support.
Editor: Brent Franklin, Hannah Wodrich
Designer: Krystal Figueroa
Tia Dickerson is a former MAST Center Intern and a PhD student in the Department of Sociology and Criminology at Howard University.
Elvis Gyan is a former MAST Center Intern and a PhD student in the Department of Family Science and Human Development at Montclair State University.
Mindy E. Scott is the MAST Center’s Principal Investigator and leads the Program Implementation and Evaluation research area. She is a sociologist and family demographer at Child Trends whose primary research interests relate to family formation, family strengthening, responsible fatherhood, and adolescent sexual and reproductive health. Dr. Scott studies the design and implementation of healthy marriage and relationship education programs through several projects focused on youth, parents in complex families, and fathers.
Ria Shelton is a Senior Research Assistant in the Parenting and Family Dynamics research area at Child Trends. Her research interests include racial equity in the health and early childhood spaces, healthy relationship outcomes, sexual and reproductive health and adolescent health and well-being.
Lisa Kim is a Senior Research Analyst in the Parenting and Family Dynamics research area at Child Trends. She has experience leading and supporting qualitative research across a variety of topic areas, including sexual and reproductive health, healthy relationships, fatherhood, and intimate partner violence. Ms. Kim is passionate about improving access to high-quality care for underserved communities and understanding the impact of racial and ethnic inequalities, socioeconomic factors, and systems and policies on health outcomes.