How does this process of economic strain on families actually operate? As we all know, financial stress increases depression for both husbands and wives. This depression leads to worsened marital relationships, often due to conflicts between parents, or between parents and children, about money. When conflict increases and marriage relationships suffer, the quality of parenting is dramatically depressed. Parents are at risk for becoming less involved, nurturing, and less consistent in discipline. Ultimately, it is this family climate that puts adolescents at risk for a variety of negative outcomes, including irritability, academic difficulty, and delinquency. So, while not all children will experience negative outcomes when their families face economic stress, many do, and the negative results can be traced to weakened parenting of struggling couples.
We also know that when families are under great economic pressure, outcomes are different for teenage boys and girls. Because mothers may often turn to employment away from home when finances are strained, girls may experience increased responsibilities around the house. As a result, girls may gain social maturity and independence at younger ages, but may also have pessimistic attitudes about their future career opportunities. For boys, disruptions in family income seem to lead to increased conflict with fathers. When fathers have trouble supporting the family, the insecurity of teenage sons may lead them to react negatively.
Sources: Conger, Conger, Elder, Lorenz., Simons, Whitbeck. 1992. "A family process model of economic hardship and adjustment of early adolescent boys." Child Development. 63:526-541.
Conger & Elder, Jr. 1994. Families in Troubled Times: Adapting to Change in Rural America.
Elder, 1974. Children of the Great Depression.
Steinberg, 1999. Adolescence, 5th Edition.
Keeping Families First in Troubled Times
A University of Nebraska website with over 20 downloadable short articles on families under financial stress:
http://www.ianr.unl.edu/ianr/coopext/familiesfirst/
Decisions Now
A press release that describes a University of Nebraska program that helps families in agriculture make key decisions:
http://www.ianr.unl.edu/ianr/cuming/agrel.txt
The Family Farm Project
An award-winning website describing a project at Kenyon College to explore family farming and community life in Knox County, Ohio:
http://www.kenyon.edu/projects/famfarm/project/project.htm
Farm Economy Issues
Iowa State University's Farm Economy Team website; under "Programs and Services", includes links on stress, communities, and families and youth:
http://www.exnet.iastate.edu/Pages/communications/farm98/
Journal of Extension
