IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/socsci/v90y2009i5p1051-1071.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Poverty, Material Hardship, and Depression

Author

Listed:
  • Colleen M. Heflin
  • John Iceland

Abstract

Objective. Mental health disorders are of great social, economic, and policy concern. A higher incidence of major depressive disorder has been reported among women living in or near poverty. Our study examines the extent to which the relationship between income and depression is mediated by measures of material hardship. Methods. We use measures of depression at two points in time from the longitudinal Fragile Families Survey to better discern the causal direction of the relationship between income poverty, hardship, and depression. More specifically, we use conditional logistic fixed‐effect models that control for time‐invariant unmeasured heterogeneity in the sample. Results. We found a strong relationship between hardships and depression. The most prominent hardships were problems paying bills and phone turned off. We also found that hardship helped mediate much, though not all, of the link between poverty and depression in the conditional fixed‐effects logistic regression models. Conclusion. Our policy simulations suggest that public health efforts to reduce depression may be enhanced from efforts that focus on specific forms of material hardship.

Suggested Citation

  • Colleen M. Heflin & John Iceland, 2009. "Poverty, Material Hardship, and Depression," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 90(5), pages 1051-1071, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:socsci:v:90:y:2009:i:5:p:1051-1071
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1540-6237.2009.00645.x
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6237.2009.00645.x
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/j.1540-6237.2009.00645.x?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Robert Rector & Kirk Johnson & Sarah Youssef, 1999. "The Extent of Material Hardship and Poverty in the United States," Review of Social Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 57(3), pages 351-387.
    2. Susan E. Mayer & Christopher Jencks, 1989. "Poverty and the Distribution of Material Hardship," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 24(1), pages 88-114.
    3. Reichman, Nancy E. & Teitler, Julien O. & Garfinkel, Irwin & McLanahan, Sara S., 2001. "Fragile Families: sample and design," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 23(4-5), pages 303-326.
    4. Peter Adams & Michael D. Hurd & Daniel L. McFadden & Angela Merrill & Tiago Ribeiro, 2004. "Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise? Tests for Direct Causal Paths between Health and Socioeconomic Status," NBER Chapters, in: Perspectives on the Economics of Aging, pages 415-526, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    5. Ecob, Russell & Davey Smith, George, 1999. "Income and health: what is the nature of the relationship?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 48(5), pages 693-705, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Alisa C. Lewin & Michal Shamai & Sharon Novikov, 2023. "Surviving in Crisis Mode: The Effect of Material Hardship and Social Support on Emotional Wellbeing Among People in Poverty During COVID-19," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 165(1), pages 245-265, January.
    2. Zilanawala, Afshin & Pilkauskas, Natasha V., 2012. "Material hardship and child socioemotional behaviors: Differences by types of hardship, timing, and duration," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 34(4), pages 814-825.
    3. Margaret M. C. Thomas, 2022. "Longitudinal Patterns of Material Hardship Among US Families," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 163(1), pages 341-370, August.
    4. repec:pri:crcwel:wp11-08-ff is not listed on IDEAS
    5. Yevgeniy Goryakin & Lorenzo Rocco & Marc Suhrcke & Bayard Roberts & Martin McKee, 2014. "The effect of health on labour supply in nine former Soviet Union countries," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 15(1), pages 57-68, January.
    6. Natasha V. Pilkauskas & Brian A. Jacob & Elizabeth Rhodes & Katherine Richard & H. Luke Shaefer, 2023. "The COVID Cash Transfer Study: The Impacts of a One‐Time Unconditional Cash Transfer on the Well‐Being of Families Receiving SNAP in Twelve States," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 42(3), pages 771-795, June.
    7. repec:pri:crcwel:wp10-03-ff is not listed on IDEAS
    8. Thomas, Margaret M.C. & Waldfogel, Jane, 2022. "What kind of “poverty” predicts CPS contact: Income, material hardship, and differences among racialized groups," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 136(C).
    9. Kristin Turney & Marcia J. Carlson, 2010. "Multi-partnered Fertility and Mental Health among Fragile Families," Working Papers 1218, Princeton University, School of Public and International Affairs, Center for Research on Child Wellbeing..
    10. Olga Kondratjeva & Stephen P. Roll & Mathieu Despard & Michal Grinstein‐Weiss, 2021. "The impact of state earned income tax credit increases on material and medical hardship," Journal of Consumer Affairs, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 55(3), pages 872-910, September.
    11. Manuel, Jennifer I. & Martinson, Melissa L. & Bledsoe-Mansori, Sarah E. & Bellamy, Jennifer L., 2012. "The influence of stress and social support on depressive symptoms in mothers with young children," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 75(11), pages 2013-2020.
    12. Natasha V. Pilkauskas & Katherine Michelmore & Nicole Kovski & H. Luke Shaefer, 2024. "The expanded Child Tax Credit and economic wellbeing of low-income families," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 37(4), pages 1-35, December.
    13. Bilicz Hanga Lilla, 2023. "The Causal Relationship Between Income Deprivation and Depression with Special Emphases on the Importance of Spatiality," Economic and Regional Studies / Studia Ekonomiczne i Regionalne, Sciendo, vol. 16(4), pages 505-518, December.
    14. Anika Schenck-Fontaine & Lidia Panico, 2019. "Many Kinds of Poverty: Three Dimensions of Economic Hardship, Their Combinations, and Children’s Behavior Problems," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 56(6), pages 2279-2305, December.
    15. Vargas, Edward D., 2015. "Immigration enforcement and mixed-status families: The effects of risk of deportation on Medicaid use," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 83-89.
    16. Corman, Hope & Noonan, Kelly & Reichman, Nancy E. & Schultz, Jennifer, 2012. "Effects of financial insecurity on social interactions," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 41(5), pages 574-583.
    17. Martens, Karel, 2018. "Ageing, impairments and travel: Priority setting for an inclusive transport system," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 122-130.
    18. Natasha V. Pilkauskas & Janet Currie & Irwin Garfinkel, 2011. "The Great Recession and Material Hardship," Working Papers 1312, Princeton University, School of Public and International Affairs, Center for Research on Child Wellbeing..
    19. Stephen Roll & Yung Chun & Olga Kondratjeva & Mathieu Despard & Talia Meital Schwartz-Tayri & Michal Grinstein-Weiss, 2022. "Household Spending Patterns and Hardships during COVID-19: A Comparative Study of the U.S. and Israel," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 43(2), pages 261-281, June.
    20. Elly Field, 2020. "Material Hardship and Contraceptive Use During the Transition to Adulthood," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 57(6), pages 2057-2084, December.
    21. Natasha Pilkauskas & Katherine Michelmore & Nicole Kovski & H. Luke Shaefer, 2022. "The Effects of Income on the Economic Wellbeing of Families with Low Incomes: Evidence from the 2021 Expanded Child Tax Credit," NBER Working Papers 30533, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    22. O. Kondratjeva & S. P. Roll & M. Despard & M. Grinstein-Weiss, 2022. "The Impact of Tax Refund Delays on the Experience of Hardship Among Lower-Income Households," Journal of Consumer Policy, Springer, vol. 45(2), pages 239-280, June.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Corman, Hope & Noonan, Kelly & Reichman, Nancy E. & Schultz, Jennifer, 2012. "Effects of financial insecurity on social interactions," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 41(5), pages 574-583.
    2. McGovern, Mark E. & Rokicki, Slawa & Reichman, Nancy E., 2022. "Maternal depression and economic well-being: A quasi-experimental approach," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 305(C).
    3. Jones, Andrew M. & Wildman, John, 2008. "Health, income and relative deprivation: Evidence from the BHPS," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 27(2), pages 308-324, March.
    4. repec:pri:crcwel:wp11-08-ff is not listed on IDEAS
    5. Scodellaro, Claire & Khlat, Myriam & Jusot, Florence, 2012. "Intergenerational financial transfers and health in a national sample from France," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 75(7), pages 1296-1302.
    6. Ian Lundberg & Louis Donnelly, 2019. "A Research Note on the Prevalence of Housing Eviction Among Children Born in U.S. Cities," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 56(1), pages 391-404, February.
    7. James X. Sullivan & Lesley Turner & Sheldon Danziger, 2008. "The relationship between income and material hardship," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 27(1), pages 63-81.
    8. repec:pri:crcwel:wp11-02-ff is not listed on IDEAS
    9. repec:pri:crcwel:wp09-10-ff is not listed on IDEAS
    10. Isaac Addai & Jelena Pokimica, 2012. "An Exploratory Study of Trust and Material Hardship in Ghana," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 109(3), pages 413-438, December.
    11. Natasha V. Pilkauskas & Janet Currie & Irwin Garfinkel, 2011. "The Great Recession and Material Hardship," Working Papers 1312, Princeton University, School of Public and International Affairs, Center for Research on Child Wellbeing..
    12. Iceland, John & Bauman, Kurt J., 2007. "Income poverty and material hardship: How strong is the association?," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 36(3), pages 376-396, June.
    13. Luis Ayala & Antonio Jurado & Jesús Pérez‐Mayo, 2011. "Income Poverty And Multidimensional Deprivation: Lessons From Cross‐Regional Analysis," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 57(1), pages 40-60, March.
    14. Bender, Keith A. & Theodossiou, Ioannis, 2009. "Controlling for endogeneity in the health-socioeconomic status relationship of the near retired," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 38(6), pages 977-987, December.
    15. repec:pri:crcwel:wp08-06-ff is not listed on IDEAS
    16. Colleen Heflin, 2016. "Family Instability and Material Hardship: Results from the 2008 Survey of Income and Program Participation," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 37(3), pages 359-372, September.
    17. Edmunds, Chrisse, 2020. "Academic failure and the role of early life course economic deprivation," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 108(C).
    18. repec:pri:crcwel:wp10-12-ff is not listed on IDEAS
    19. Zilanawala, Afshin & Pilkauskas, Natasha V., 2012. "Material hardship and child socioemotional behaviors: Differences by types of hardship, timing, and duration," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 34(4), pages 814-825.
    20. Sara McLanahan & Jean Knab & Sarah Meadows, 2009. "Economic Trajectories in Non-Traditional Families with Children," Working Papers 1181, Princeton University, School of Public and International Affairs, Center for Research on Child Wellbeing..
    21. Afshin Zilanawala & Natasha V. Pilkauskas, 2011. "Low-Income Mothers' Material Hardship and Children's Socioemotional WellBeing," Working Papers 1288, Princeton University, School of Public and International Affairs, Center for Research on Child Wellbeing..
    22. Cavaco, Sandra & Etienne, Jean-Michel & Skalli, Ali, 2007. "Identifying causal paths between health and socio-economic status: Evidence from European older workforce surveys," Working Papers 07-8, University of Aarhus, Aarhus School of Business, Department of Economics.
    23. Hai Fang & John A. Rizzo, 2012. "Does inequality in China affect health differently in high- versus low-income households?," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 44(9), pages 1081-1090, March.
    24. Conrad-Hiebner, Aislinn & Paschall, Katherine W., 2017. "Determining risk for child physical harm through the classification of economic insecurity," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 161-169.
    25. Margaret M. C. Thomas, 2022. "Longitudinal Patterns of Material Hardship Among US Families," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 163(1), pages 341-370, August.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:socsci:v:90:y:2009:i:5:p:1051-1071. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0038-4941 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.