Family Economic Hardship Research Articles

Are Children of Welfare Recipients at a Heightened Risk of Bullying and Peer Victimization?

Children who come from families on welfare or government assistance might be at risk for bullying involvement. As research has shown, children living in poverty and experiencing family economic hardship are significantly likely to be involved in bullying in school. This study investigates whether welfare assistance is associated with children’s bullying victimization and perpetration, controlling for the covariates including mother (educational level, marital status, employment status, perceived parenting) and child (sex, age, race/ethnicity) characteristics. The study also explores whether various kinds of welfare assistance programs, such as Medicaid, Cash Assistance, SNAP, free/reduced breakfasts or lunches at school and the WIC program are independently associated with children’s bullying victimization and perpetration, controlling for the covariates. Participants were 15,010 caregivers of children, ages 6–11 years, who completed the National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH). Results suggest that children receiving welfare assistance were more likely to be victims and perpetrators of bullying than children not on assistance. All of the welfare assistance variables were associated with increased odds of bullying perpetration, and three out of five welfare assistance programs—Medicaid, SNAP, and free/reduced breakfasts or lunches at school were statistically significantly associated with increased odds of bullying victimization. Children in families receiving welfare assistance appear to be at an increased risk of being both victims and perpetrators of bullying, which suggests a need for bullying programming for this population.

Effects of childhood adversity trajectories on mental health outcomes in late adolescence: The buffering role of parenting practices in Taiwan

BackgroundChildhood adversities (CAs) have been linked with unfavorable development; however, the chronic trajectories of multiple CAs and possible heterogeneous effects are understudied. ObjectivesThis study examined the trajectories of multiple CAs and their associations with mental health outcomes in adolescence and investigated the buffering effect of parenting practices. Participants and settingWe used population-representative data from the Taiwan Education Panel Survey (2005 and 2007, n = 10,416). MethodsThis study was based on retrospectively self-reporting of six CAs, namely physical abuse, family economic hardship, parental problematic drinking, parental catastrophic health problems, parental divorce, and parental death, at three developmental periods: early childhood, middle childhood, and early adolescence. Group-based multitrajectory modeling and multiple regressions were used to identify distinct trajectories of multiple CAs and evaluate the association estimates. ResultsA total of four trajectory groups were identified: increasing family economic hardship (12.3 %), chronic physical abuse (3.3 %), chronic parental problematic drinking (2.8 %), and low adversity (81.6 %). The chronic physical abuse group had the highest levels of depressive symptoms (β = 6.61, p < .001) and suicidal ideation (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR] = 2.67, p < .001), whereas the chronic parental problematic drinking group had the highest level of substance abuse (AOR = 4.59, p < .001). Positive parental practices buffered the harmful effects of increasing family economic hardship in late adolescence, particularly for depressive symptoms and substance abuse. ConclusionsAdverse mental health outcomes varied among groups with distinct multiple CA trajectories. The provision of social services to train or support positive parenting practices in families experiencing economic hardship is a potentially valuable resilience strategy.

Loneliness in life and in death? Social and demographic patterns of unclaimed deaths.

We examined family isolation, economic hardship, and long-distance migration as potential patterns of an extreme outcome of a lonely death: bodily remains that remain unclaimed and are left to the state. This paper combines a unique dataset—Los Angeles County's records of unclaimed deaths—with the Vital Statistics' Mortality data and the Annual Social and Economic Survey (ASEC) to examine 1) whose remains are more likely to become unclaimed after death and, 2) whether population-level differences and trends in family isolation, economic hardship, and long-distance migration explain the differences in the rates of unclaimed deaths. We employ multivariate Poisson models to estimate relative rates of unclaimed deaths by social and demographic characteristics. We find that increases in never married, divorced/separated, and living without family were positively associated with rates of unclaimed deaths. Unemployment among men and poverty among women was associated with higher unclaimed deaths. Long-distance migration was not associated with more unclaimed bodies.

Couple BMI trajectory patterns during mid-later years: Socioeconomic stratification and later-life physical health outcomes.

Although previous studies have documented spousal resemblance in health attributes, questions remain regarding the longitudinal resemblance of spouses' body mass index (BMI) and the possible formation of couple-level BMI trajectory patterns. Consequentially, we know little about how the longitudinal resemblance of spouses' BMI may link couples' varying socioeconomic experiences to their physical health outcomes in later years. Thus, the present study using prospective data from a sample of 255 couples in enduring marriages over a period of 26 years (from 1991 to 2017) examined (a) the existence of couple-level BMI trajectory patterns in mid-later years, (b) their social stratification into heterogeneous groups of couples associated with family economic hardship (FEH), and (c) differential later-life health outcomes of these groups. The results provided evidence for groups of couples with distinct BMI trajectory patterns. These groups were associated with latent groups of FEH trajectories, suggesting a persistent association between couple BMI and FEH. Couple BMI trajectory patterns were consequential for physical health consequences in later years. Two features of couple BMI trajectory patterns, severity and synchrony, were utilized to explain these associations. Taken together, the results provided evidence for a couple-level FEH-BMI-health process over the life course and emphasize the impact of severity and synchrony in couples' BMI for their health problems in later adulthood. Findings are discussed as they relate to health policies and interventions focusing on the well-being of married couples in later life, particularly the need for couple-focused obesity-related interventions and policies that mitigate economic hardship given its long-lasting health impacts. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Health risk behavior and cultural stress among Venezuelan youth: a person centered approach.

In recent years, more than 5million Venezuelans have left their once prosperous country, with several hundred thousand settling in the United States (US). At present, our understanding of the health risk behavior profiles of Venezuelan émigré youth, and their links with cultural stress, remains limited. Drawing from a sample of recently-immigrated Venezuelan youth in the US, we aim to identify subtypes of youth according to their involvement in health risk behaviors (i.e., substance use, sexual risk behavior, violence) and assess the associations between class membership and key constructs related to cultural stress theory (i.e., negative context of reception, family communication/support). Latent profile analysis and multinomial regression were performed using data from a community-based convenience sample of 402 recently-arrived Venezuelan immigrant youth (ages 10-17; 56% male). We identified five subtype classes: (1) "Abstainer" (36%), (2) "Alcohol Only" (24%), (3) "Alcohol/Tobacco" (24%), (4) "Aggression" (8%), and (5) "Multidimensional Risk" (8%). Compared to Class #1, youth in Classes #3 and #5 reported significantly higher levels of negative context of reception and lower levels of family functioning while controlling for demographic factors. Youth in Class #5 reported the lowest levels of family economic hardship and the longest duration in the US. It is vital that we support both Venezuelan youth who abstain from risk behavior and, at the same time, develop and implement programs that target the needs of those who are at elevated risk for serious consequences related to substance use, sexual risk behavior, and violence.

Understanding the Link Between Family Economic Hardship and Children’s Bullying Behavior

Past research has revealed a link between family economic hardship and children’s bullying involvement, yet research has not examined the kinds of factors that may mediate this relationship. Our study used data from the National Survey of Children’s Health and consisted of a sample of 15,797 children from 12 to 17 years of age who lived with their mothers. We found that family economic hardship was directly related to a child’s bullying behavior. Indirect associations were also found between child’s bullying and family economic hardship, violence in the home, and mother’s parental frustration. Implications for research are discussed.

Socioeconomic Determinants in Vaccine Hesitancy and Vaccine Refusal in Italy.

Childhood vaccination has been a milestone in the control of infectious diseases. However, even in countries offering equal access to vaccination, a number of vaccine-preventable diseases have re-emerged. Suboptimal vaccination coverage has been called into question. The aim was to explore socioeconomic inequalities in vaccine hesitancy and outright refusal. Families with at least one child aged between 3 months and 7 years were involved through an online survey. Families were classified as provaccine, hesitant, or antivaccine. The association between socioeconomic determinants and hesitancy/refusal was investigated with a logistic-regression model. A total of 3865 questionnaires were collected: 64.0% of families were provaccine, 32.4% hesitant, and 3.6% antivaccine. Rising levels of perceived economic hardship were associated with hesitancy (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) from 1.34 to 1.59), and lower parental education was significantly associated with refusal (AOR from 1.89 to 3.39). Family economic hardship and parental education did not move in parallel. Economic hardship was a determinant of hesitancy. Lower education was a predictor of outright refusal without affecting hesitancy. These findings may serve as warnings, and further explanations of socioeconomic inequities are needed even in universal healthcare systems. Insight into these factors is necessary to improve convenience and remove potential access issues.

Associations between parent-reported family economic hardship and mental health conditions in U.S. children

This study examines the association between parent-reported family economic hardship (FEH) and child mental health conditions. We hypothesized a positive association between parent perceptions of F...

Association of Health Care Use and Economic Outcomes After Injury in Cameroon

Despite the highest injury rates worldwide, formal medical care is not often sought after injuries in Sub-Saharan Africa. Unaffordable costs associated with trauma care might inhibit injured patients from seeking care. To (1) determine the injury epidemiology in Cameroon using population-representative data, (2) identify the barriers to use of formal health care after injury, and (3) determine the association between use of care and economic outcomes after injury. This mixed-methods, cross-sectional study included a population-representative, community-based survey and nested qualitative semistructured interviews in the urban-rural Southwest Region of Cameroon. Three-stage cluster sampling was used to select target households. Data were collected from January 3 to March 14, 2017, and analyzed from March 3, 2017, to March 3, 2019. Injuries occurring in the preceding 12 months. Postinjury use of health care services, disability, and economic outcomes. All survey data were adjusted for cluster sampling. Of 1551 total households approached, 1287 (83.0%) were surveyed for a total sample size of 8065 participants. The 8065 individuals surveyed included 4181 women (52.0%), with a mean age of 23.9 (standard error [SE], 0.2) years. A total of 503 injuries were identified among 471 unique participants, including 494 nonfatal injuries. Among these, 165 (34.6%) did not seek formal medical services. Disability occurred after 345 injuries (68.6%) and resulted in 11 941 lost days of work in the sample. Family economic hardship after injury was substantially increased among the injured cohort who used formal medical care. Injuries brought to formal medical care, compared with those that were note, incurred higher mean treatment costs ($101.08 [SE, $236.23] vs $12.13 [SE, $36.78]; P < .001), resulted in higher rates of lost employment (19.9% [SE, 3.6%] vs 5.6% [SE, 1.6%]; P = .004), and more frequently led affected families to use economic coping strategies, such as borrowing money (26.2% [SE, 2.7%] vs 7.1% [SE, 1.2%]; P < .001). After adjusting for age and severity, use of formal medical care in Cameroon was independently associated with severe economic hardship after injury, defined as a new inability to afford food or rent (adjusted odds ratio, 1.67; 95% CI, 1.05-2.65). In this study, injury in Southwestern Cameroon was associated with significant disability and lost productivity. Formal medical treatment of injury was associated with significant financial consequences for households of injured patients. Primary prevention of road traffic injuries and financial restructuring of emergency care could improve trauma care access in Cameroon and reduce the societal effects of injury.

Couple processes of family economic hardship, depressive symptoms, and later-life subjective memory impairment: moderating role of relationship quality

Objectives To examine a) processes through which family economic hardship (FEH) contributes to spouses’ mental health and subsequent subjective memory impairment (SMI) in later years and b) the moderating effect of overall relationship quality on these associations. Methods With prospective data over 27 years from a sample of 224 husbands and wives in enduring marriages, the present study utilized latent growth curves to identify how FEH trajectories are associated with both spouses’ depressive symptoms trajectories across their mid-later years (average age 40-65 years) and subsequent SMI in later life (> 67 years). The moderating role of relationship quality between depressive symptoms and SMI was also examined. Results FEH experiences across the mid-later years (1991–2015) explained variation in husbands’ and wives’ depressive symptoms trajectories (1994–2015). Change in depressive symptoms was associated with husbands’ and wives’ SMI in later life (2017) after taking the level of depressive symptoms into account. Spousal dependencies, including partner effects, existed among husbands’ and wives’ depressive symptoms trajectories and SMI outcomes. Some of these dependencies were moderated by couples’ overall relationship quality. Conclusion FEH has a persistent influence on husbands’ and wives’ SMI in later years. Depressive symptoms mediated the influence of FEH on later wellbeing. The findings are discussed as they relate to family systems and life course stress process theories. Implications are addressed at multiple levels including national- and state-policies and clinical interventions.

The Negative Impact of Economic Hardship on Adolescent Academic Engagement: An Examination Parental Investment and Family Stress Processes.

Academic success is a strong predictor of adolescent adjustment and subsequent adult social, psychological, and economic well-being. Importantly, research has established a negative relationship between family economic hardship and children's educational outcomes. Despite being disproportionately represented among the most financially disadvantaged, African Americans remain an understudied group. The current study utilizes a longitudinal study design and prospective data from the Family and Community Health Study (n = 422, 52% girls, average age = 10.5 years at Wave 1), an African American sample, to investigate the impact of economic hardship on adolescent academic engagement by testing explanations offered by two commonly employed perspectives: the parental investment model and family stress model. While both models yielded significant results when tested separately, only the processes specified by the family stress model remained significant in a combined model, demonstrating that it is the superior explanation. By addressing many of the deficits of past research on the parental investment model and family stress model, the study was able to shed new light on the specific pathways by which economic disadvantage exerts an effect on youth outcomes. In doing so, the results question whether potentially middle-class, Eurocentric models (e.g., the parental investment model) are applicable when studying economically distressed African American youth.

Can Family and Neighborhood Cohesiveness Buffer the Association Between Family Economic Hardship and Children’s Peer Victimization?

The aim of the current study is to identify factors that buffer the link between family economic hardship and peer victimization. We examined whether family and neighborhood cohesiveness moderated the association between family economic hardship and children’s peer victimization. Data were derived from the 2016 National Survey of Children’s Health, and the total sample was 14,155 caregivers who responded to questions about children, aged 6 through 11 years old. Analyses included bivariate correlations and hierarchical multivariate regressions. Family economic hardship was positively associated with victimization while family cohesion and neighborhood cohesion were negatively correlated with victimization. The interaction between family economic hardship and neighborhood cohesion was significant. Implications for research, policy, and practice are discussed.

Doprinos modela obiteljskoga stresa u objašnjenju rizika za zlostavljanje adolescenata u obitelji

The aim of this study was to examine the contribution of family economic hardship, economic pressure, stress experience and family functioning in predicting the risk for abuse among mothers of Croatian adolescents under the Family Stress Model. The sample included 722 mothers of first-grade high school students from central Croatia. The results showed that lower education and parents' unemployment, higher levels of stress and family conflict and lower levels of family intimacy predicted higher risk for child abuse. Family intimacy and conflicts showed partial mediation effect on the relationship between economic hardship, economic pressure, and experience of stress with risk for abuse. The development of effective programs for the parents who are at risk for child abuse, together with interventions for reducing economic hardship is an important direction for lowering risk for child abuse.

SNAP, Young Children's Health, and Family Food Security and Healthcare Access

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the largest nutrition assistance program in the U.S. This study's objective was to examine the associations between SNAP participation and young children's health and development, caregiver health, and family economic hardships. Cross-sectional data from 2006 to 2016 were analyzed in 2017 for families with children aged <3 years in 5 cities. Generalized estimating equations and logistic regression were used to evaluate the associations of SNAP participation with child and caregiver health outcomes and food insecurity, forgone health care, and health cost sacrifices. Nonparticipants that were likely to be eligible for SNAP were compared with SNAP participants and analyses adjusted for covariates including Consumer Price Index for food to control for site-specific food prices. The adjusted odds of fair or poor child health status (AOR=0.92, 95% CI=0.86, 0.98), developmental risk (AOR=0.82, 95% CI=0.69, 0.96), underweight, and obesity in children were lower among SNAP participants than among nonparticipants. In addition, food insecurity in households and among children, and health cost sacrifices were lower among SNAP participants than among nonparticipants. Participation in SNAP is associated with reduced household and child food insecurity, lower odds of poor health and growth and developmental risk among infants and toddlers, and reduced hardships because of healthcare costs for their families. Improved SNAP participation and increased SNAP benefits that match the regional cost of food may be effective preventive health strategies for promoting the well-being of families with young children.

Association between family economic hardship and university students' risky alcohol use: Mediating and moderating roles of perceived discrimination and impulsivity

Few studies have examined factors that might explain or affect the relation between family economic hardship and university students' risky alcohol use. To address this, the current study tested a moderated mediation model with perceived discrimination as the mediator and impulsivity as the moderator. A sample of 513 university students (48.6% males, 17–22 years old) completed anonymous questionnaires regarding family economic hardship, perceived discrimination, impulsivity and risky alcohol use. Gender, age and parents' education level were controlled for in the analyses. Structural equation models showed that perceived discrimination fully mediated the association between family economic hardship and risky alcohol use. Meanwhile, impulsivity moderated the second stage of the indirect effect (perceived discrimination → risky alcohol use); the association between perceived discrimination and risky alcohol use was only significant for university students with a higher (not lower) level of impulsivity. The findings suggest that perceived discrimination is one mechanism by which family economic hardship may be associated with university students' risky alcohol use, and impulsivity affects this mechanism.

Economic hardship, positive affect, and marital processes over middle years

Family economic hardship (FEH) can negatively impact the quality of marital relationships, and research has shown that increased distress of husbands and wives at least partially mediates this association. Research has shown that FEH not only increases feelings of distress but also depletes individuals’ positive feelings. The mediating role of positive affect (PA), however, has received less attention. The current study used data from the Iowa Midlife Transitions Project with a sample of 370 married couples providing data from 1991 to 2001. Latent growth curves were estimated for families’ economic hardship and spouses’ PA. Increasing FEH over time generally resulted in the depletion of individuals’ PA after controlling for each spouse’s negative personality characteristics. These growth curves were included in a structural equation model ultimately assessing spouses’ marital quality (MQ). PA trajectories were related to hostile couple context, which was associated with reduced MQ. Findings emphasize the long-term consequences of FEH across middle adulthood on subsequent marital processes through both intra-individual (i.e., PA) and inter-individual (i.e., marital hostility) processes, suggesting that effective prevention and intervention efforts must account for influences at multiple levels and over extended periods of time on MQ. Furthermore, these findings support efforts aiming to strengthen positive psychological resources, rather than reducing psychological distress, as a means to improve MQ.

Planning for the Future

The purpose of this study was to explore the postsecondary educational and occupational expectations of work-bound rural youth. Three groups of work-bound youth were identified (work-bound, work-bound with future educational plans, and work-bound but unsure/undecided about postsecondary education), and each group was compared to college-bound rural youth using results from a recent national investigation of the educational and occupational aspirations of rural youth. Results indicated that the majority of rural youth in this study planned to continue their education after high school (56%), followed by 34% who planned to work and further their education. Results of logistic regression analysis indicated that family characteristics and students’ schooling experiences were the strongest predictors of work-bound status. Work-bound youth were more likely to report greater family economic hardship, lower parental expectations for completing college, and more negative schooling experiences than college-bound rural youth. Acknowledgements: This research was supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences (R305A04056) awarded to the NRCRES at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the granting agency.

가구의 경제적 스트레스와 부부의 생활만족도 간의 관계에서 경제적 부담 및 사회적 신뢰의 매개효과와 인구사회학적 특성의 조절효과

가구의 경제적 스트레스와 부부의 생활만족도 간의 관계에서 경제적 부담 및 사회적 신뢰의 매개효과와 인구사회학적 특성의 조절효과

Marital processes linking economic hardship to mental health: The role of neurotic vulnerability.

Both enduring neurotic vulnerabilities and economic hardship have been shown to negatively influence marital behaviors, which have physical and mental health consequences. However, because most previous research is fragmented and has focused on the early years of marriage or relatively short periods of time, their long-term effects are unclear. Using data from the Iowa Midlife Transitions Project, with a sample of 370 married couples providing data from 1991 to 2001, we assessed enduring personal and couple vulnerabilities, trajectories of family economic hardship, and couples' marital hostility using a comprehensive dyadic model to ascertain their influence on subsequent mental health. Couple marital hostility trajectories and neurotic vulnerabilities (both additively and interactively) were associated with changes in both spouses' depressive symptoms. Results also indicated that couples' marital hostility trajectories link trajectories of family economic hardship to subsequent changes in husbands' and wives' depressive symptoms. Last, associations between economic hardship trajectories, marital hostility trajectories, and depressive symptoms were moderated by couples' neurotic vulnerability as captured by a product term of husbands' and wives' neurotic vulnerability. In general, these associations were amplified for couples with a high level of couple vulnerability and weakened (or altogether absent) for those with a low level of vulnerability. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Challenges to Family Unity and Opportunities for Promoting Child Welfare in an Increasingly Punitive Immigration Landscape

This paper describes specific challenges to family unity and child welfare among children in immigrant families resulting from immigration enforcement. Surges in immigration activity over the past decade have resulted in family economic hardship, psychological trauma to children, and difficulty accessing social services. Children whose parents are detained/deported are at risk of unnecessarily entering the child welfare system, and encounter significant barriers to family reunification. In recent months, the scope of enforcement priorities that previously safeguarded many parents now target a much larger group of immigrants for deportation, increasingly disregarding the needs of children. Immigration raids have terrorized communities across the country, and repercussions are being felt by the child welfare system and social service providers. Within an anti-immigrant political climate, there is a desperate need for social workers to lead initiatives to respond to immigrants’ needs. Strategies include: (1) development of social work expertise in working with immigrants; (2) cross-systems and cross-disciplinary collaborations; (3) leveraging existing resources and supports; (4) documentation/collection of data; and (5) focused advocacy efforts.