Financial Adjustment and Couple Resilience in the Great Recession

This study examines economic and family implications of financial stressors and changes that couples experienced in the aftermath of the Great Recession as guided by Patterson’s (2002) Family Adjustment and Adaptation Response (FAAR) model. The sample consisted of a primarily middle-income group of 277 married and cohabiting couples; the couples were surveyed between 2008 and 2011 as part of the Flourishing Families Project. Findings from our path analysis showed that financial adjustments (e.g. cutting back on social activities and entertainment) in response to recession-era negative economic events were the source of economic pressure and couple relationship problems regarding finances. Prior levels of couple financial collaboration, however, partially offset these negative effects of the recession which was consistent with predictions from FAAR theory

Researcher Profile: An Interview With Clinton G. Gudmunson, Ph.D.

Clinton Gudmunson is an assistant professor in the department of Human Development and Family Studies at Iowa State University. Since entering his current position in 2010, he has worked closely with financial counselors to develop the research capacity of the ISU Financial Counseling Clinic (www.hdfs.hs.iastate.edu/financial) beginning to analyze the data from the archives which extend back to 1986, developing innovative approaches for collecting information from incoming client-research participants, and perusing and receiving grants to develop and investigate theories pertaining to personal financial literacy and financial counseling. This work follows his ongoing work investigating adolescent money attitudes, families and work (including family businesses), and economic pressure in family life. He teaches courses in personal finance, family policy, and research methods. He is active in the Financial Therapy Association and the National Council on Family Relations as a researcher seeking to bring a family perspective towards understanding financial issues. This is a theme that is investigated in his most recent article on Family Financial Socialization, which is coauthored by Sharon Danes

Debt Begets Debt: Examining Negative Credit Card Behaviors and Other Forms of Consumer Debt

The effect of negative credit card behaviors is examined for association with other forms of consumer debt (automobile debt, installment debt, and personal loan debt). Data were collected using a combination of random digit dialing and convenience sampling from two cities. Respondents\u27 median age is 48 years old, ranging from 20-87. Results indicate that despite controlling for income, not paying off the monthly balance and reaching the maximum limit on credit cards are associated with a variety of other debts. Although consumers can increase lifetime utility by borrowing, less educated consumers are more vulnerable to less favorable sources of credit. Negative credit card behaviors can be easily identifiable signals of larger lurking issues related to consumer behavior or lack of financial literacy. Controlling for income, younger adults accrue significantly more installment debt, possibly suggesting that younger generations perceive a larger number of required appliances and electronics as being necessary to run the household than previous generations

Sources of Referral in Student Financial Counseling

This study evaluates sources of referral to financial counseling and varied declines in financial stress across the financial counseling process. College students came to counseling most often through self-referral. Younger students and women were more likely to respond to institutional referrals. There were two clearly discernable periods of decline in financial stress, smaller interim declines occurring after requesting appointments and larger declines that occurred in counseling sessions. The interim declines, however, were only operative for those who were self- or institutionally-referred and not for those who entered on a social-referral. A possible explanation is that social-referrals have already had “someone to talk to” whereas other referrals may only begin to feel a psychological burden lifted after making an appointment. Total declines in financial stress were mostly impervious to individual differences and sources of referral lending support to the notion that financial counseling itself contributed to aggregate declines in financial stress