A STUDY OF STRENGTHS IN BLACK FAMILIES

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of husbands/fathers and wives/mothers of strong Black families concerning specific aspects of marital, parental, and family relations. The sample was composed of 97 respondents representing 41 families who lived throughout the United States. The data were collected by means of a self-administered questionnaire during the months of May, 1979, through December, 1979. The questionnaire included the following: biographical information items, questions concerned with various perceptions of what has contributed to making the respondent\u27s marital and parental relationships satisfying, questions concerned with the actions (behaviors) of their spouse and eldest child which make the respondent feel good about self and the actions of the respondent which make the spouse and eldest child feel good about self. In addition, there were open-ended questions concerned with what the respondent perceived to be their familys\u27 major strengths, and what the family does together that makes them strong. A percentage and frequency count and the chi-square test were used to analyzed the data. Findings and conclusions. The family members in the study indicated that commitment and understanding were the most important factors which contributed to making the marriage satisfying. God centeredness was another salient factor that was perceived by the respondents as contributing to marital satisfaction. One major finding of this study was that members of strong Black families tend to enhance each others self-esteem through sharing compliments and appreciation. Indeed, the parents of these strong families exhibited a pattern of expressing appreciation to their children, spending much time with them, participating in their children\u27s activities and generally expressing a strong interest in them. No significant relationship was found to exist between perceptions concerning the degree which family members were happy or satisfied according to sex, social class and depth of religious faith