The links of communal coping with racial discrimination to relationship and well-being outcomes

The goal of this study was to examine the links of communal coping to relationship and well-being outcomes in the context of racial discrimination. First, we examined the relation of discrimination to relationship outcomes in a sample of 138 African Americans. Second, we examined whether communal coping (i.e., shared appraisal, collaboration, disclosure) and partner race buffered the link of discrimination to both relationship and well-being outcomes. Results showed that discrimination was associated with adverse relationship outcomes for three of the four measures. Appraising discrimination as a shared problem was related to positive relationship outcomes, whereas collaboration buffered the negative relation between discrimination and positive relationship outcomes. In examining partner race, results showed that collaboration exerted a buffering effect in different-race but not same-race relationships. Future research should attempt to understand the pitfalls of coping with discrimination in same-race relationships where both persons are equally likely to face the same stressor.