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Family Instability and Material Hardship: Results from the 2008 Survey of Income and Program Participation

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  • Colleen Heflin

    (University of Missouri)

Abstract

This study used longitudinal, nationally representative data from the 2008 Survey of Income and Program Participation to explore how each of six sources of instability (employment shocks, household formation shocks, residential changes, income changes, household size changes, and disability shocks) impacted the key domains of material hardship (food insecurity and medical, housing and essential expense hardship). The study found that income shocks and having a person with a disability join the household were the only consistent triggers for all types of material hardship, and that overall, sources of instability had an asymmetrical impact on material hardship; that is, sources of instability did not help households when they were removed as much as they harmed households when introduced. These results provided a nuanced understanding of the household dynamics that result in economic and family instability in the US and provided new evidence regarding why some households were unable to cover basic needs.

Suggested Citation

  • 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.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jfamec:v:37:y:2016:i:3:d:10.1007_s10834-016-9503-6
    DOI: 10.1007/s10834-016-9503-6
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    Cited by:

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    2. French, Declan, 2023. "Exploring household financial strain dynamics," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    3. French, Declan & Vigne, Samuel, 2019. "The causes and consequences of household financial strain: A systematic review," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 150-156.
    4. John Iceland & Arthur Sakamoto, 2022. "The Prevalence of Hardship by Race and Ethnicity in the USA, 1992–2019," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 41(5), pages 2001-2036, October.
    5. Craig Gundersen & David R. Just & Judith Bartfeld & J. Michael Collins, 2017. "Food Insecurity, Financial Shocks, and Financial Coping Strategies among Households with Elementary School Children in Wisconsin," Journal of Consumer Affairs, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 51(3), pages 519-548, November.
    6. Terri Friedline & Zibei Chen & So’Phelia Morrow, 2021. "Families’ Financial Stress & Well-Being: The Importance of the Economy and Economic Environments," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 42(1), pages 34-51, July.
    7. Gold, Sarah & Wagner, Brandon, 2022. "Acute care utilization and housing hardships in American children," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 136(C).
    8. 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.
    9. 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.
    10. 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.
    11. Cai, Julie Yixia, 2021. "Earnings instability and child protection: Evidence from state administrative data," SocArXiv y825p, Center for Open Science.
    12. Stephen Roll & Olga Kondratjeva & Sam Bufe & Michal Grinstein-Weiss & Stephanie Skees, 2022. "Assessing the Short-Term Stability of Financial Well-Being in Low- and Moderate-Income Households," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 43(1), pages 100-127, March.
    13. Gassman-Pines, Anna & Bellows, Laura & Copeland, William E. & Hoyle, Rick H. & Odgers, Candice L., 2023. "Day-to-day variation in adolescent food insecurity," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 149(C).
    14. Emma Beacom & Sinéad Furey & Lynsey Hollywood & Paul Humphreys, 2021. "Conceptualising household food insecurity in Northern Ireland: risk factors, implications for society and the economy, and recommendations for business and policy response," SN Business & Economics, Springer, vol. 1(5), pages 1-22, May.
    15. Edmunds, Chrisse, 2020. "Academic failure and the role of early life course economic deprivation," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 108(C).
    16. Patrick Meehan & Trina Shanks, 2024. "Poverty Reduction is Not the Whole Story: The COVID-19 Pandemic Response in Relation to Material Hardship," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 45(2), pages 458-469, June.
    17. Kim, Jaeseung & Henly, Julia R., 2021. "Dynamics of child care subsidy use and material hardship," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 124(C).
    18. Washington, Tyreasa & Despard, Mathieu, 2024. "Making a way out of no way: The importance of improving financial instability among African American kinship care families," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    19. Rodems, Richard & Shaefer, H. Luke, 2020. "Many of the kids are not alright: Material hardship among children in the United States," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    20. Sam Bufe & Stephen Roll & Olga Kondratjeva & Stephanie Skees & Michal Grinstein-Weiss, 2022. "Financial Shocks and Financial Well-Being: What Builds Resiliency in Lower-Income Households?," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 161(1), pages 379-407, May.
    21. Colleen Heflin & Hannah Patnaik, 2023. "Material Hardship and the Living Arrangements of Older Americans," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 44(2), pages 267-284, June.
    22. Schwartz, Naomi & Tarasuk, Valerie & Buliung, Ron & Wilson, Kathi, 2019. "Mobility impairments and geographic variation in vulnerability to household food insecurity," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 243(C).
    23. John Iceland & Claire Kovach & John Creamer, 2021. "Poverty and the Incidence of Material Hardship, Revisited," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 102(1), pages 585-617, January.

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