Although racial discrimination is clearly connected to poor health, and relationships are connected to good health, little research has examined the link between racial discrimination and relationships. Thus, we conducted a meta-analysis of studies that examine the relation between racial discrimination and relationship outcomes. Of the 36 articles including 113 effect sizes, we found a small association of racial discrimination to poor relationship outcomes, r = −.095, 95% CI −.141, −.049. Subgroup analyses suggest racial discrimination is related to higher negative relationship outcomes, lower positive relationship outcomes, and is unrelated to social support. The overall association was moderated by study quality, study design, and proportion of Black participants. This meta-analysis highlights the need to consider whether racial discrimination has a causal impact on relationships, and, if so, how to harness relationships to buffer the negative health effects of discrimination. Future research should examine mechanisms explaining the link between racial discrimination and relationship outcomes.
Kelley et al. (Thu,) studied this question.