Sources of Economic Distress

Abstract

Examined in this article are relationships between six measures of economic stress—financial adequacy, perceived economic well-being, respondent's and partner's job instability, and respondent's and partner's job insecurity—and seven measures of individual and family well-being. Presented are descriptive and regression analyses of social survey data drawn from telephone interviews with 366 householders ages 18 to 65 residing in a southeastern U.S. metropolitan county. For both women and men, perceived economic well-being was generally the strongest predictor of measures of individual and family well-being. For men as well as women, spouse's or partner's job variables were important predictors of measures of family well-being. The respondent's own job instability and insecurity appeared more important to women than men, and more so for family than individual well-being outcomes. Two alternative pathways were proposed and partially supported for the influence of economic factors on individual well-being.