The Case for Interracial Marriage? Interracial Marriage and Depression

• In Event: 494 - Regular Session. Interracial Marriage/Assortive Mating

Abstract

Previous research shows that married people are happier and enjoy greater levels of psychological well-being than unmarried individuals. However, most research examining the benefits of marriage rely on data from intra-racial – mostly White – couples, and less is known about the emotional health outcomes of individuals in interracial partnerships. With rates of interracial marriage on the rise, it is important to examine these couples. This study uses fixed effects regression to examine depression outcomes among those in same-race and interracial relationships in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health). We estimate models separated by gender, race, and region, and find that only those in same-race relationships enjoy the psychological health benefits traditionally associated with marriage, while those in interracial relationships do not differ from their single counterparts. These findings suggest that while marriage may be available to a growing number of Americans, it does not equally benefit all.

Authors

• Jaclyn S. Wong, University of Chicago

• Andrew Penner, University of California-Irvine