Determinants of Transit from Marriage among African Americans

Abstract

This study attempted to construct profiles of two types of African American divorcees: petitioners and nonpetitioners of divorce. Surveyed participants ( n = 98) responded to questions concerning demographic variables, health status, length of stay in marriage, and 12 dimensions of self-cognition as predictors that discriminated between the two subgroups of divorcees. Discriminant analysis of these variables showed significant differences between petitioners and nonpetitioners. The divorcees’ perception of group activity was the highest contributor to the discriminant function, followed by self, and same-race relations. There was no significant difference in length of stay in marriage between the two divorcee groups, contrary to what has been reported in the literature for the two subgroups combined.