Released March 20, 2009
AUBURN UNIVERSITY, Ala. -- As we all know, history repeats itself and the results of a major study undertaken during the 1980s farm crisis are apropos today. The current economic crisis affects the lives of youth, their parents and siblings.
In the 1980s study, more than 450 rural families were included in a six-year study that followed families over time designed to study adolescent development in the midst of the crisis in agriculture.
Today's economic crises are not just restricted to the agricultural community. One of the most important findings from this ongoing study was that economic stress affects children because it disrupts parenting, which, in turn, is related to problematic outcomes for youth. Stated another way, income loss itself does not necessarily have negative effects on youth; it is the degree to which income loss affects parent interaction and parenting skills that matters for children.
Exactly how does this process of economic strain on families operate?
It is a known fact that financial stress increases depression for husbands and wives. This depression leads to worsened marital relationships, often due to conflicts between parents, or between parents and children, over money.
As conflict increases and marriage relationships suffer, the quality of parenting is dramatically decreased. Parents become at risk of being less involved, less nurturing, and more inconsistent in discipline. The result is that this family climate puts adolescents at risk for a variety of negative outcomes which include irritability, academic difficulty and delinquency. However, while not all children will experience negative outcomes due to family economic stress, many do, and the negative results can be traced to weakened parenting of struggling couples.
Outcomes are different for teenage boys and girls
The study also showed that when families are under great economic pressure, outcomes are different for teenage boys and girls. When finances are strained, mothers may seek employment outside the home, resulting in increased responsibilities and expectations of girls in the home. This added responsibility may result in girls gaining social maturity and independence at younger ages, but may also cause pessimistic attitudes and concerns about their future educational and career opportunities. For boys, disruptions in family income appear to lead to increased conflict with their fathers. When fathers have difficulty supporting the family, teenage sons may become insecure and react negatively.
In these difficult times, it is extremely important for parents and other caregivers to lead by positive example and to make a strong, concerted effort to avoid stressing the lives of youth.
For more information, contact Sallie Lide-Hooker, regional Extension agent at (334) 875-3200.
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