Family economic hardship during adolescence affects family relationships and the social, emotional, and behavioral development of a substantial number of American youth. The authors of this brief use data from the Coos County Youth Study, conducted by the Carsey Institute, to explore adolescents’ perceptions of family economic pressure in 2008 and determine whether these views are linked to their family relationship experiences one year later. They report that one-third of adolescents in Coos County, New Hampshire, perceive that their family is experiencing significant economic pressure and that significant economic pressure is linked to negative parent-child and sibling relationships one year later

Cox, Genevieve R.

Tucker, Corinna J.

English

UNH Scholars' Repository

	 C A R S E Y 	 I N S T I T U T E 	 1CARSEYI N S T I T U T ENEW ENGLAND ISSUE BRIEF NO. 28FALL 2011IntroductionFamily	economic	hardship	during	adolescence	affects	family	relationships	and	the	social,	emo-tional,	and	behavioral	development	of	a	substantial	number	of	American	youth.	Ample	evidence	shows	that	economic	hardship	can	be	detrimental	to	adolescent	well-being	through	its	effects	on	parents’	well-being	and	the	quality	of	the	marital	and	parent-child	relationship.1	Because	most	research	has	focused	on	parents’	percep-tions	of	economic	hardship,	little	is	known	about	adoles-cents’	views	of	their	family’s	economic	situation	and	its	relationship	to	adolescents’	family	experiences.	In	this	brief,	we	examine	adolescents’	perceptions	of	their	fam-ily’s	economic	climate	and	its	link	to	parent	and	sibling	relationships.	The	ecological	model	of	development	provides	a	useful	theoretical	framework	for	examining	how	the	environ-ment	influences	adolescent	family	relationships.	Accord-ing	to	this	model,	there	are	levels	of	interaction,	some	more	immediate	and	some	broader,	that	combine	to	influ-ence	family	relationships.	More	remote	family	environ-ments,	such	as	the	family’s	economic	status,	can	affect	all	family	members	and	are	likely	to	affect	parent-child	and	sibling	interactions.	These	interactions	influence	adoles-cents’	family	experiences	and	development.	Although	adolescents	have	little	control	over	fam-ily	economic	hardship,	the	nature	of	their	perceptions	of	that	hardship	may	play	a	direct	role	in	their	family	relationships.	In	adolescence,	youth	begin	to	evaluate	their	environment	with	more	awareness.	Adolescents	who	perceive	their	family	as	unable	either	to	meet	its	financial	obligations	or	to	secure	basic	material	goods	and	services2	may	be	vulnerable	to	economic	stress	and	its	influence	on	family	relationships.	Like	parents	who	report	greater	economic	pressure,	adolescents	may	have	higher	levels	of	anger,	frustration,	and	distress	that	are	reflected	in	their	parent	and	sibling	relationships.3			 Key	Findings• One-third of adolescents  in Coös County, New Hampshire, perceive that their family is experiencing significant economic pressure.• Significant economic pressure is linked to negative parent-child and sibling relationships one year later.Coös	Teens’	View	of	Family	Economic	Stress	Is	Tied	to	Quality	of	Relationships	at	HomeC O R I N N A 	 J E N K I N S 	 T U C K E R 	 A N D 	 G E N E V I E V E 	 R . 	 C O X	T R ACK I N G CH A N G E S  I N T H E  N O R T H CO U N T RYTo	explore	adolescents’	perceptions	of	family	economic	hardship,	we	analyze	data	from	the	Coös	County	Youth	Study.	Coös	County	in	northern	New	Hampshire	once	had	a	thriving	economy	built	on	a	booming	paper	indus-try.	At	one	point,	it	was	the	largest	newspaper	supplier	in	the	world.	However,	the	paper	industry	has	declined	significantly	in	the	last	twenty	years,	with	a	devastating	economic	impact	on	the	county	that	has	transformed	the	local	economy	into	a	largely	service-based	one.	The	loss	of	higher-wage	mill	jobs	has	contributed	to	Coös	County	having	the	highest	poverty	rate	in	New	Hampshire	and	families	leaving	the	area	for	better	opportunities.	Using	seventh	graders’4	self-reports	gathered	in	2008	and	2009,	we	report	adolescents’	perceptions	of	family	eco-nomic	pressure	in	2008	and	explore	whether	these	views	are	linked	to	parent	and	sibling	relationship	experiences	one	year	later.			 2	 C A R S E Y 	 I N S T I T U T EAdolescents	Are	Fairly	Evenly	Divided	in	Their	Views	of	Family	Economic	Pressures	To	assess	adolescents’	perceptions	of	their	family’s	economic	hardship,	we	combined	responses	to	the	following	two	questions:	1.	 Families	are	different	in	the	amount	of	money	they	have.	How	would	you	rate	your	family?	[1	=	very	little	money	available	to	5	=	lots	of	money	available].		2.	 How	satisfied	are	you	with	your	family’s	financial	situation?	[1	=	not	very	satisfied	to	5	=	very	satisfied].		We	then	categorized	adolescents	into	three	groups	on	the	basis	of	the	average	of	their	responses	to	the	two	items.	The	three	groups	were	high	economic	pressure	(≤	2),	neutral	(=	3),	and	low	economic	pressure	(≥	4).	Roughly	equal	shares	of	adolescents	reported	high,	neutral,	or	low	economic	pressure	(see	Figure	1).	As	found	in	other	studies	with	parents,	ado-lescents’	views	of	economic	pressure	are	unrelated	to	parent	education	level	and	number	of	siblings.5	They	are,	however,	related	to	parents’	marital	status.	Adolescents	from	married	two-parent	families	are	more	likely	to	report	low	economic	pressure	and	less	likely	to	report	high	economic	pressure	than	are	adolescents	of	divorced,	remarried,	or	widowed	parents.low	economic	pressure	report	the	greatest	closeness	with	their	parents6	a	year	later.	Adolescents	who	report	high	economic	pressure	report	the	highest	levels	of	hostility7	in	interactions	with	their	mother	a	year	later	(this	finding	was	not	evident	for	adolescents’	relationship	with	their	father).8	Like	parents	who	perceive	family	economic	hardship,	ado-lescents’	perceptions	of	economic	pressure	and	the	day-to-day	frustrations	associated	with	it	are	linked	to	the	quality	of	parent-child	relationship	experiences	(see	Figure	2).Figure 1. Adolescents’ View of Family Economic PressureFigure 2. Economic Pressure and Parental Relationships One Year Later Economic	Difficulties	Challenge	the	Quality	of	Adolescents’	Parent-Child	Relationships	Adolescence	is	a	time	of	growing	pressure	to	have	money	for	social	interactions,	clothing,	activities,	and	transporta-tion.	These	social	pressures,	combined	with	a	family’s	eco-nomic	difficulty,	will	likely	influence	the	nature	of	adoles-cent-parent	interactions.	Indeed,	adolescents	who	perceive	Adolescents’	Sibling	Relationships	Are	Also	Challenged	by	Family	Economic	Struggles	Siblings	have	a	unique	role	in	adolescents’	lives	and	often	share	an	“insider’s	view”	of	family	dynamics.	The	nature	of	sibling	relationships	often	mirrors	the	quality	of	the	marital	and	parent-child	relationships	and	is	reflective	of	family	characteristics	(such	as	family	stress).9	Yet,	the	links	between	family	economic	pressure	and	sibling	relationship	quality	are	rarely	considered.	We	therefore	examine	the	connection	between	adolescents’	perceptions	of	family	eco-nomic	pressure	and	sibling	rivalry,	warmth,	and	involve-ment.	Higher	scores	in	Figure	3	indicate	higher	ratings	of	these	sibling	relationship	qualities.We	find	that	adolescents	who	perceive	that	their	fami-lies	are	facing	little	economic	pressure	report	the	high-est	involvement	and	warmth	in	their	relationship	with	their	closest	sibling	a	year	later.10	In	contrast,	those	who	reported	high	economic	pressure	in	2008	had	the	most	rivalry11	with	their	closest	sibling	in	200912	(see	Figure	3).	Other	work	has	shown	that	competition	among	siblings	tends	to	be	higher	in	families	with	low	parental	and	fa-milial	resources.13	 C A R S E Y 	 I N S T I T U T E 	 3Money	Management,	Job	Training,	and	Family	Communication	Skills	Are	Options	for	Intervention	About	two-thirds	of	Coös	County	seventh	graders	catego-rized	their	family’s	economic	pressure	as	neutral	or	high,	which	may	reflect	the	larger	economic	climate	of	the	area.	Similar	to	previous	studies	referenced	here,	we	find	that	adolescents’	perception	of	family	economic	hardship	may	leave	them	vulnerable	to	negative	family	relationships.	Our	results	show	that	the	financial	characteristics	of	the	broader	family	environment	left	few	family	members’	relationships	untouched.	Moreover,	we	highlight	the	potential	lasting	connection	between	adolescents’	perceptions	of	family	eco-nomic	pressure	and	the	nature	of	their	family	relationship	experiences	a	year	later.	Other	research	has	shown	that	such	vulnerability	in	difficult	financial	situations	is	a	risk	factor	for	lower	adjustment	and	behavioral	problems.14	Given	the	importance	of	familial	relationships	to	adoles-cents	and	the	problems	associated	with	financial	hardship,	solutions	are	needed	to	help	reduce	the	negative	influence	of	family	hardship	on	adolescents	and	their	family	relationship	experiences.	Options	include	promoting	programs	that	effec-tively	lower	financial	strain,	such	as	money	management	and	job	training.	In	addition,	adolescents,	their	parents,	and	sib-lings	could	be	helped	with	problem-solving	skills	that	may	enhance	family	functioning	and	communication	and	help	resolve	conflicts	over	money	and	financial	constraints.	Pro-grams	such	as	parent	education	and	support	groups	offered	by	local	family	resource	centers	might	be	one	place	where	these	communication	skills	could	be	addressed.	Initiatives	or	programs	that	are	targeted	to	economically	challenged	families	and	that	promote	positive	familial	relationships	may	improve	future	life	outcomes	for	Coös	adolescents.	E N D N O T E S1.	See,	for	example,	R.D.	Conger	and	G.H.	Elder,	Jr.,	Families In Troubled Times: Adapting to Change In Rural America	(New	York:	Aldine,	1994).2.	R.D.	Conger	et	al.,	“Pathways	of	economic	influence	on	adolescent	adjustment,”	American Journal of Community Psychology, 27	(1999):	519-541.	3.	K.	J.	Conger,	M.A.	Rueter,	and	R.	D.	Conger,	“The	Role	of	Economic	Pressure	in	the	Lives	of	Parents	and	Their	Adoles-cents:	The	Family	Stress	Model,	in	Negotiating Adolescence in Times of Social Change,	edited	by	L.	J.	Crockett	and	R.	K.	Silberiesen	(Cambridge:	Cambridge	University	Press,	2000).4.	Youth	participants	included	in	this	study	include	304	sev-enth	graders	between	the	ages	of	11	and	15,	with	an	average	age	of	12.63.5.	Conger	et	al.,	“Pathways	of	Economic	Influence.”6.	Measured	by	four	items	(for	example,	“I	feel	close	to	my	mother/father”;	0	=	Strongly	Disagree	through	4	=	Strongly	Agree)	taken	from	M.K.	Johnson,	G.H.	Elder,	and	M.	Stern,	“Attachments	to	family	and	community	and	the	young	adult	transition	of	rural	youth,”	Journal of Research on	Adolescence, 15 (2005):	99-125.7.	Measured	by	four	items	(for	example,	“How	often	in	the	last	month	has	your	mother/father	gotten	angry	at	you?”;	0	=	never	in	the	past	month	through	3	=	at	least	once	a	day)	taken	from	R.D.	Conger	et	al.,	“Economic	stress,	coercive	family	process	and	developmental	problems	of	adolescents,”	Child Development, 65	(1999):	541-561.8.	A	MANOVA	was	performed	to	assess	differences	between	the	economic	pressure	groups	on	the	linear	combination	of	the	four	parent-relationship	quality	variables:	mother	warmth,	father	warmth,	mother	hostility,	and	father	hostility.	A	sig-nificant	difference	was	found	using	Wilks’	criterion,	Λ	=	.87,	F (2,	239)	=	4.33,	p	=	.01,	and	it	revealed	the	three	economic	pressure	groups	were	distinguishable	on	mother	warmth,	F (2,	239)	=	3.26,	p	=	.04,	father	warmth,	F (2,	239)	=	5.78,	p	=	.01,	and	mother	hostility,	F (2,	242)	=	8.73,	p	=	.01.		9.	See,	for	example,	C.M.	Stocker	and	L.	Youngblade,	“Marital	conflict	and	parental	hostility:	Links	with	children’s	sibling	and	peer	relationships,”	Journal of Family Psychology,	13	(1999):	598-609.10.	We	measured	sibling	involvement	with	three	items	(for	example,	“How	much	free	time	do	you	spend	with	your	brother/sister?”;	0	=	none,	to	3	=	a	lot)	from	W.	Furman	and	D.	Buhrmester,	“Children’s	Perceptions	of	the	Personal	Rela-tionships	in	Their	Social	Networks,”	Developmental Psychol-ogy,	21	(6)	(1985):	1016-24.	We	measured	sibling	warmth	with	five	items	(for	example,	“I	feel	close	to	my	brother/sister”;	1	=	not	at	all,	to	5	=	a	lot)	from	L.	Kramer	and	L.A.	Figure 3. Economic Pressure and Sibling Relationship Quality One Year Later		 4	 C A R S E Y 	 I N S T I T U T EBuilding	knowledge	for	families	and	communitiesThe	Carsey	Institute	conducts	policy	research	on	vulnerable		children,	youth,	and	families	and	on	sustainable	community		development.	We	give	policy	makers	and	practitioners	timely,		independent	resources	to	effect	change	in	their	communities.	This	work	was	supported	by	the	The	Neil	and	Louise	Tillotson	Fund	of	the	New	Hampshire	Charitable	Foundation.Huddleston	Hall73	Main	Street	Durham,	NH	03824(603)	862-2821Baron,	“Parental	Perceptions	of	Children’s	Sibling	Relation-ships,”	Family Relations, 44	(1985):	95-103.11.	We	measured	sibling	rivalry	with	three	items	(for	exam-ple,	“I	feel	like	I	am	in	competition	with	my	brother/sister”;	1	=	not	at	all,	to	4	=	a	lot)	taken	from	L.	Kramer	and	L.A.	Baron,	“Parental	Perceptions	of	Children’s	Sibling	Relation-ships,”	Family Relations, 44	(1985):	95-103.12.	We	used	a	MANOVA	to	assess	differences	between	the	economic	pressure	groups	on	the	linear	combination	of	the	three	sibling	relationship	quality	variables:	involvement,	warmth,	and	rivalry.	A	significant	difference	was	found	us-ing	Wilks’	criterion,	Λ	=	.94,	F (2,	242)	=	2.01,	p	=	.04,	and	it	revealed	the	three	economic	pressure	groups	were	distin-guishable	on	sibling	involvement,	F (2,	242)	=	4.09,	p	=	.02,	sibling	warmth,	F (2,	242)	=	2.56,	p	=	.08,	and	sibling	rivalry,	F (2,	242)	=	3.43,	p	=	.03.		13.	See,	for	example,	J.	Dunn,	“Brothers	and	sisters	in	middle	childhood	and	early	adolescence:	Continuity	and	change	in	individual	differences,”	in	Sibling relationships: Their causes and their consequences,	edited	by	G.H.	Brody	(Norwood,	NJ:	Ablex,	1996),	31-46.14.	Conger	et	al.,	“Pathways	of	Economic	Influence.”	A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S :	The	Coös	Youth	Study	Team	is	supported	by	the	Neil	and	Louise	Tillotson	Fund	of	the	New	Hampshire	Charitable	Foun-dation	and	the	Carsey	Institute.	The	Coös	Youth	Study	Team	thanks	the	students	who	are	participating	in	this	research	proj-ect	and	the	superintendents,	principals,	guidance	counselors,	teachers,	and	administrators	who	helped	the	team	collect	these	data.	Thank	you	to	the	anonymous	reviewers	who	provided	feedback	on	early	drafts	of	this	brief	and	to	Meghan	Mills,	Amy	Sterndale,	Curt	Grimm,	and	Laurel	Lloyd	Earnshaw	for	their	editorial	assistance.	Also	special	thanks	to	fellow	members	of	the	Coös	Youth	Research	Team,	including	Cesar	Rebellon,	Erin	Hiley	Sharp,	Nena	Stracuzzi,	and	Karen	Van	Gundy.A B O U T 	 T H E 	 A U T H O R S :Corinna	Jenkins	Tucker	is	a	Carsey	Institute	faculty	fellow	and	an	associate	professor	of	family	studies	at	the	University	of	New	Hampshire	(cjtucker@unh.edu).Genevieve	Cox	is	a	Ph.D.	candidate	in	sociology	at	the	University	of	New	Hampshire	(genevieve.cox@unh.edu).	

Coos teens’ view of family economic stress is tied to quality of relationships at home

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Coos teens’ view of family economic stress is tied to quality of relationships at home

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