Department of Internal Medicine, Howard University College of Medicine, 2041 Georgia Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20060, USA.
Department of Internal Medicine, Howard University College of Medicine, 2041 Georgia Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20060, USA.
J Natl Med Assoc. 2016 Winter;108(4):244-245. doi: 10.1016/j.jnma.2016.08.007. Epub 2016 Sep 24.
This book review analyzes the complex and profound impact active religious participation has on relationships and family outcomes among African Americans and Latinos. In Soul Mates, Wilcox and Wolfinger discuss the legacy of slavery and Jim Crow laws and the resulting devastating effects on African American and Latino families despite their high religious involvement. The authors make the case that many African American men are unlikely candidates for marriage or stable relationships due to trends of family instability driven by the declining income-power of working-class men as well as entry of more women into the labor force, government penalties for low-income couples, revolt against traditional values, increased access to birth control and abortion, and the persistence of discrimination and incarceration of minority men.
The authors examine data from six national surveys as well as additional data from interviews, focus groups, ethnographic field work, and an extensive literature review.
Wilcox and Wolfinger find evidence that when African American couples actively participate in Christian churches, the men are more likely to adhere to a "code of decency" which decreases street behaviors, such as binge drinking, having multiple sex partners, and having multi-partner fertility, which are known to inhibit family stability.
This book will be helpful for health providers who would like to better understand and serve their African American and Latino patients. The findings suggest that health care providers can promote a healthy emotional environment for families by encouraging minority men to renew or maintain church involvement.
本书评论分析了积极的宗教参与对非裔美国人和拉丁裔的人际关系和家庭结果的复杂而深远的影响。威尔科克斯和沃尔芬格在《灵魂伴侣》中讨论了奴隶制和吉姆·克劳法的遗留问题，以及这些问题对非裔美国家庭和拉丁裔家庭造成的毁灭性影响，尽管他们的宗教参与度很高。作者认为，由于工人阶级男性收入权力下降、更多女性进入劳动力市场、政府对低收入夫妇的处罚、对传统价值观的反抗、获得避孕和堕胎的机会增加，以及少数族裔男性持续受到歧视和监禁等趋势，许多非裔美国男性不太可能成为婚姻或稳定关系的候选人。
作者检查了六项全国性调查的数据，以及来自访谈、焦点小组、民族志实地工作和广泛文献综述的额外数据。
威尔科克斯和沃尔芬格发现，当非裔美国夫妇积极参与基督教教堂时，男性更有可能遵守“道德规范”，这减少了街头行为，如狂饮、有多个性伴侣和多伴侣生育，这些行为已知会抑制家庭稳定。
对于希望更好地了解和服务非裔美国人和拉丁裔患者的医疗服务提供者来说，这本书将很有帮助。这些发现表明，医疗保健提供者可以通过鼓励少数族裔男性重新参与或维持教会参与，为家庭营造健康的情感环境。
