Economic Stress and the Family

Family researchers have often examined how various economic and financial stressors can affect families. Unemployment, underemployment, higher costs of living, bankruptcy, dependency upon government assistance, and the like have been associated with a wide range of deleterious consequences for families. When faced with economic stress, spousal relationships can become strained, childrearing can become challenging, and even childbearing plans can be affected. Economic stress even brings with it the need for adaptation, as nuclear families may find themselves needing to rely upon extended kin for financial and instrumental assistance.

In the fall of 2008, a global recession struck, leaving many families worldwide in dire: financial situations, experiencing forms of economic stress unlike any which had been seen ,n recent generations.

This volume focuses on how families and family members have been affected by economic and financial stress Using a variety of methodological and theoretical perspectives, the family scholars in this volume examine the various ways in which families have been affected, how they have coped, and how they have adapted in the face of financial stress.