The Impacts of Household Financial Stress, Resilience, Social Support, and Other Adversities on the Psychological Distress of Western Sydney Parents
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taylor2017 - p. 1
primary caregivers of at least one child
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taylor2017 - p. 1
Parents are also a key group of interest in this context, as parental financial strain can adversely affect the functioning of households and the psychosocial development of children [4, 5].
taylor2017 - p. 2
The research participants were a random sample of adults (aged over 18 years) living in the western suburbs of Sydney in NSW and who live in the same household and have primary caring responsibility for at least one child aged between 4 and 16 years.
taylor2017 - p. 2
The survey instrument was developed by the study team and incorporated a range of validated scales and items to assess parent experiences of “tough times” (i.e., financial stressors and other adverse life events) and anticipated protective factors such as perceived family and community support and personal resilience/optimism.
taylor2017 - p. 2
Household financial strain was examined using two items from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey [16] which assessed ability over the past year to pay utilities bills (gas, electricity, or telephone) or mortgage/rent payments and a further item measuring ability to pay for children’s “school requirements or extras.”
taylor2017 - p. 2
Adverse family and life events were examined using items adapted from the Stress and Coping Inventory [17]. Respondents were asked whether they experienced the following during the previous 12 months: separation or divorce; close family member with an ongoing chronic physical health problem or disability; close family member with a mental health problem or behavioural or emotional difficulty; close family member with alcohol or drug use affecting family; persistent conflict within the family; death of a close family member; or any other experience that caused distress and worry.
taylor2017 - p. 2
Parents also rated their general physical health status during the past four weeks using a validated item from the NSW Population Health Survey
taylor2017 - p. 2
arent perceptions of difficulties experienced by their children were assessed using four items adapted from the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), a behavioural screening questionnaire for 4–16 year olds [20]. Perceived difficulties with each child during the past twelve months were rated on a four-point scale (none to severe). The four items reflected the factor structure of childhood difficulties as assessed by the SDQ: (1) emotional regulation, (2) concentration, (3) behaviours, and (4) peer relationships (“ability to get on with others”).
taylor2017 - p. 4
Current mental health status was assessed with the Kessler 10 Measure of Psychological Distress (K10). The K10 has been used extensively in Australian population health research and provides a composite measure of nonspecific psychological distress, consisting largely of anxiety and depressive symptoms [21]. Scores on the K10 have a range of 10–50, with scores of ≥22 considered to constitute “high” psychological distress.
taylor2017 - p. 4
Perceived social support from family and friends was assessed with two items from the Perceived Social Support Scale [25]
taylor2017 - p. 4
Social capital was measured using two items adapted from Onyx and Bullen [26], which assessed respondent trust in others and their perceived social connectedness in their neighbourhood.
taylor2017 - p. 4
The short form of the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CDRISC2) was used to measure current perceived personal resilience, that is, the ability to “adapt to change” and to “bounce back from illness or hardship”
taylor2017 - p. 4
This study was approved by the University of Western Sydney Human Research Ethics Committee (Protocol number H9918). The survey was completed between 10 and 26 May 2011. The questionnaire was administered using computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI).