Fictive kinship relations in black extended families

Demographic correlates of whether an extended family has incorporated a fictive kin relative was examined among a national sample of black adults. Fictive kin are defined as persons who are treated like a relative but who are not related by blood or marriage. Two out of three respondents indicated there was someone in their family who was regarded as a fictive kin. Multivariate analysis revealed that gender, age, education and region were all significantly associated with the probability that a family would incorporate fictive kin members. These findings are discussed in relation to previous work on fictive kinship relationships.