In the AA sample, we found that AUD and frequent tobacco use were associated with a lower likelihood of marriage. We note that the direction of association for tobacco is opposite from what was observed in the European ancestry group. Although the exact mechanisms that give rise to this pattern of effects is not clear, it is consistent with prior evidence that there are racial/ethnic differences in the associations between complex behavioral health outcomes and marriage (Sobal et al., 2009), and may reflect differences in how smoking is perceived of on the marriage market. Additionally, since our measure of frequent tobacco use was inclusive of lifetime regular smokers (i.e., not excluding former smokers), it is also possible that there were more ex-smokers in the European ancestry group, given prior evidence that Black smokers experience lower rates of successful smoking cessation than White smokers (King et al., 2004). Contrary to our expectation, major depressive disorder was associated with a higher likelihood of marriage. Although the exact mechanisms underlying this effect are unknown, we note that others have documented associations among marriage and depression in African American samples (Assari, 2017; Bennett et al., 1989).
