Intermarriage and mother-child relationships

Citation

Yahirun, Jenjira J. (2019). Intermarriage and mother-child relationships. Social Science Research. vol. 78 pp. 203-2014 , PMCID: PMC6368410

Abstract

Research indicates that when adult children marry, ties to parents weaken. Yet less is known about how spousal characteristics, and specifically, spouse's race or ethnicity, affect ties to the family of origin. This paper uses data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health to ask how interracial/ethnic marriage, compared to same-race/ethnicity marriage, is associated with ties to mothers among young adults in the United States. Results indicate that offspring who are intermarried differ little in their relationships to mothers compared to those who married same-race/ethnicity partners. However, findings from this study suggest that intermarriage may have greater consequences for some groups, such as Blacks, compared to other racial/ethnic groups. Overall, the results highlight how intermarriage has a relatively limited effect on offspring relationships with mothers and suggest a role for future research that examines how ties to parents during adolescence may shape partner choices during adulthood.

URL

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2018.12.005

Keyword(s)

Intermarriage Intergenerational ties Race/ethnicity Gender Add health

Reference Type

Journal Article

Journal Title

Social Science Research

Author(s)

Yahirun, Jenjira J.

Year Published

2019

Volume Number

78

Pages

203-2014

Edition

December 10, 2018

DOI

10.1016/j.ssresearch.2018.12.005

PMCID

PMC6368410

Reference ID

6856