Strengthening Connections in Interracial Marriages Through Pre-Marital Inventories: A Critical Literature Review

The importance of preparing for marriage is apparent when one considers the consequences of marital distress and the high rate of divorce. Pre-marital inventories help couples’ prepare for marriage by identifying their personal risks and resilience profiles as well as other factors that may influence their marriage. Research demonstrates the benefits of pre-marital inventories; however, there is little research on their effectiveness for interracial couples. In this review challenges facing interracial couples are identified, the benefits of using eco-systems theory in the creation of pre-marital inventories are discussed, and suggestions on how pre-marital inventories can become more applicable to interracial couples are offered.