Measure of the nature and extent of deprivation due lack of financial resources relative to their own needs (@frankham2020)
Assessment of the extent to which individuals or households are unable to engage in activities or lack goods, facilities or services (@butterworth2009)
Difficulty for household to manage financially (subjective) or state of renting or in mortgage arrears (objective) (@jackson2025)
Insufficient money to meet daily needs, pay monthly bills or other housing costs (@alhomsi2023)
Characterized by struggle in at least one of the domains: material (having financial resources), psychological (how one feels about the financial resources), and behavioral (what one does with financial resources) (@tucker-seeley2019, @surachman2023)
Indicator of socioeconomic status that relates to identifying those in need and without availability of resources (@marshall2021)
Experience of missing meals, pawning something, inability to heat the home, and applying for welfare (@breunig2019, @koomson2022)
An individual’s disadvantageous financial condition (@park2017)
The perception of inability to afford essential needs and desired wants; also called economic hardship (@rosso2024)
@bradshaw2010 evaluates that socioeconomic conditions affect distribution of mental health by modifying degree of exposure to stressors and vulnerability to them
@frankham2020’s review suggests depletion of buffer potential of psychological stressors as financial hardships increases
@bradshaw2010 indicates that, under this framework, people who perceive they are failing to compete successfully are in great risk of emotional disturbance
@hernandez-perez2025: the tendency to favor immediate rewards over future gains can undermine savings and retirement planning, increasing financial vulnerability
@hernandez-perez2025: an individual’s confidence in their capacity to manage their finances effectively plays a crucial role in shaping financial outcomes
@bradshaw2010 used a single item to frame subjective financial hardship: ‘Do you think your income is far below average, below average, average, above average, or far above average?’
@butterworth2009 applied 4 dichotomous items on strains over the past year because of money:
‘Pawned or sold something’
‘Went without meals’
‘Unable to heat home’
‘Asked for help from welfare/community organisations’
@hernandez-perez2025, suggesting an objetive and subjective domain, assessed financial stress through:
‘My financial situation limits my ability to do things I consider important’
‘In the last 12 months, have your expenses been greater than your income?’
‘In the last 12 months, has your household encountered financial challenges that have resulted in the deferred payment of debt?’
Subjective, through ‘How well would you say you yourself are managing financially these days: living comfortably, doing alright, just about getting by, finding it quite difficult, finding it very difficult?’
Objective, through ‘In the last 12 months, have you been in rent or mortgage arrears?‘
Determinants
Gender
@brown2014 showed male head householders have less chance of experiencing financial hardships, such as difficulties:
Paying for accommodation (OR=0.83)
Keeping home adequately warm (OR=0.81)
Paying for a week’s annual holiday (OR=0.64)
Replacing worn-out furniture (OR=0.88)
Buying new clothes (OR=0.73)
Having family/friend’s for a drink or a meal at least once a month (OR=0.78)
Age
@brown2014 showed age modulates suffering financial hardships, such as struggle to, in the group of:
18-24y (vs. >85), pay for accommodation (OR=1.22), pay for a week’s annual holiday (OR=1.23), replace worn-out furniture (OR=1.25), eat meat every second day (OR=1.2), and have family/friend’s for a drink or a meal at least once a month (OR=1.32)
25-34y (vs. >85), repay loans (OR=1.38), pay for a week’s annual holiday (OR=1.22), replace worn-out furniture (OR=1.23), eat meat every second day (OR=1.19), and save money (OR=0.76)
35-44y (vs. >85), pay for accommodation (OR=1.16), repay loans (OR=1.39), pay for a week’s annual holiday (OR=1.29), replace worn-out furniture (OR=1.35), buy new clothes (OR=1.27), eat meat every second day (OR=1.26), have family/friend’s for a drink or a meal at least a month (OR=1.23), and saving money (OR=0.85)
55-64y (vs. >85), repay loans (OR=1.18), pay for a week’s annual holiday (OR=1.16) and buy new clothes (OR=1.20)
65-74y (vs. >85), pay for accommodation (OR=0.80), keep home adequately warm (OR=1.20), buy new clothes (OR=1.4), and have family/friend’s for a drink or a meal at least a month (OR=1.18)
75-84y (vs. >85), keep home adequately warm (OR=1.24), buy new clothes (OR=1.30), and eat meat every second day (OR=1.25)
Ethnicity
@brown2014 showed being white protected against current financial hardships, such as trouble:
Paying for accommodation (OR=0.85)
Repaying loans (OR=0.86)
Paying for a week’s annual holiday (OR=0.79)
Replacing worn-out furniture (OR=0.83)
Having family/friend’s for a drink or a meal at least once a month (OR=0.85)
Marital status
@brown2014 showed married head householders were protected against hardships, such as struggle to: pay for a week’s annual holiday (OR=0.84), replace worn-out furniture (OR=0.69), and have family/friend’s for a drink or a meal at least once a month (OR=0.83)
Education
@brown2014 suggested financial hardships affected differently each attained education level:
Degree (vs. no education) presented with difficulty eating meat every second day (OR=1.20), and facilitated savings (OR=0.84)
Teach/nursing (vs. no education) presented with struggle repaying loans (OR=1.19), and facilitated savings (OR=0.82)
A level (vs. no education) presented with trouble paying for accommodation (OR=1.17), buying new clothes (OR=1.21), and eating meat every second day (OR=1.23)
GSCE (vs. no education) presented with difficulty being able to pay for a week’s annual holiday (OR=1.17)
Other (vs. no education) presented with struggle paring for a week’s annual holiday (OR=1.01), and buying new clothes (OR=1.01), while being able to have family/friend’s for a drink or a meal at least once a month (OR=0.97)
Income
@brown2014 showed increased labor income was protective against financial hardships, such as difficulty to: pay for accommodation (OR=0.97), pay for a week’s annual holiday (OR=0.96), have family/friend’s for a drink or a meal at least once a month (OR=0.96), and no saving (OR=0.97)
Employment status
@brown2014 pointed financial hardship outcomes varied along with household head employment status, in which:
Employment (vs. out of the labor market) led to difficulties paying for accommodation (OR=1.14), and repaying loans (OR=1.24), while protecting savings (OR=0.81)
Self-employment (vs. out of the labor market) was related to trouble paying for accommodation (OR=1.27), and eating meat every second day (OR=1.23)
Unemployment (vs. out of the labor market) was related to struggle paying for accommodation (OR=1.17), repaying loans (OR=1.16), keeping home adequately warm (OR=1.35), paying for a week’s annual holiday (OR=1.33), replacing worn-out furniture (OR=1.24), buying new clothes (OR=1.20), eating meat every second day (OR=1.25), and having family/friend’s for a drink or a meal at least once a month (OR=1.19)
Retirement (vs. out of the labor market) protected against having problem to repay loans (OR=0.83), and to pay for a week’s annual holiday (OR=0.75), while leading to decreased saving behavior (OR=1.15)
Physical health
@brown2014 suggested self-reported householder head health was inversely related with financial hardships, in which:
Poor health (vs. very poor) led to difficulties paying for accommodation (OR=1.20), keeping home adequately warm (OR=1.18), replacing worn-out furniture (OR=1.27), buying new clothes (OR=1.27), eating meat every second day (OR=1.25), and having family/friend’s for a drink or a meal at least once a month (OR=1.18)
Good health (vs. very poor) was related with struggle paying for accommodation (OR=1.25), replacing worn-out furniture (OR=1.28), eating meat every second day (OR=1.23), and having family/friend’s for a drink or a meal at least once a month (OR=1.19)
Very good health (vs. very poor) was associated with trouble buying new clothes (OR=1.21)
Excellent health (vs. very poor) protected against inability to pay for a week’s annual holiday (OR=0.80)
Self-control
@hernandez-perez2025: lack of financial self-control was related to increased financial hardship (β=0.43), controlling for sociodemographic variables
Self-efficacy
@hernandez-perez2025: lack of financial self-efficacy was related to increased financial hardship (β=0.20), controlling for sociodemographic variables
Previous financial hardship
@brown2014 showed having faced different financial problems in the past 12 months was related to current financial hardships, such as:
Difficulty paying for accommodation was predicted by not being able to pay for accommodation (OR=1.49), repay loans (OR=1.28), and keep home adequately warm (OR=0.82)
Struggle to repay loans was predicted by the same difficulty (OR=1.78), trouble replacing worn-out furniture (OR=0.81), and no saving behavior (OR=1.22)
Trouble being able to keep home adequately warm was predicted by no saving behavior (OR=1.13)
Difficulty paying for a week’s annual holiday was predicted by the same struggle (OR=1.51), and by no saving behavior (OR=1.13)
Struggle replacing worn out furniture was predicted by the same difficulty (OR=1.56), trouble being able to eat meat, chicken, fish every second day (OR=0.80), and no saving behavior (OR=1.25)
Trouble buying new clothes was predicted by difficulty paying for a week’s annual holiday (OR=1.15), and by no saving behavior (OR=1.18)
Not being able to eat meat every second day was predicted by struggle buying new clothes (OR=1.17), having family/friend’s for a drink or a meal at least once a month (OR=0.82), and no saving behavior (OR=1.26)
Difficulty having family/friend’s for a drink or a meal at least once a month was predicted by trouble buying new clothes (OR=0.83), the same problem (OR=1.2), and no saving behavior (OR=1.17)
No saving behavior was predicted by it lagged self (OR=2.08)
Household composition
@brown2014 suggested number of children was related to increased financial hardships, such as difficulties paying loans (OR=1.21), paying for a week’s annual holiday (OR=1.25), replacing worn-out furniture (OR=1.14), and buying new clothes (OR=1.14)
Tenure
@brown2014 suggested owned outright or mortgage loaned houses (vs. other) protected against hardships, such as trouble:
Paying for accommodation (OR=0.82)
Repaying loans (OR=0.76)
Paying for a week’s annual holiday (OR=0.68)
Replacing worn-out furniture (OR=0.86)
Buying new clothes (OR=0.78)
Having family/friend’s for a drink or a meal at least once a month (OR=0.83)
Saving money (OR=0.76)
Historical years
@brown2014 showed crisis periods in recent history (1998—2008) of United Kingdom predicted increases in all financial hardship indicators (with odds ratios varying between 0.20—0.48)
Gambling behavior
@oksanen2018 found problem gambling predicted serious debt problem both:
Directly, on Finns (b=0.09) and Americans (b=0.17)
Indirectly, mediated by consumer debt, on Finns (b=0.77) and (b=0.97)
Outcomes
Inflammatory biomarkers
@surachman2023 showed that financial hardship lead to increased interleukin-6 (β=0.25), C-reactive protein (β=0.11) and fibrinogen (β=0.12), adjusting for age, sex, BMI, education and race
Mental health
@alhomsi2023 found financial hardship predicted anxiety-depression symptoms during COVID-19 pandemics:
Substantial hardship led to moderate/severe (vs. none) symptoms (OR=8.15)
Substantial hardship was related to mild (vs. none) symptoms (OR=3.43)
Both objetive (β=0.07) and subjective (β=0.6) financial hardships are predictors of psychological distress, adjusting for age, gender, race, marital status, region, city size and education
These relationships are moderated by:
Religious attendance, respectively, β=-0.01 and β=-0.1
Believing in afterlife, respectively, β=-0.01 and β=-0.07
Subjective financial hardship was related with greater odds of suffering moderate (OR=1.96) or severe (OR=4.11) psychological distress
Objective financial hardship led to increased moderated (OR=1.86) or severe (OR=2.23) psychological distress
@alhomsi2023 found financial hardship was related to perceived stress levels during COVID-19 pandemics:
Substantial hardship was related with moderate/severe (vs. none) symptoms (OR=10.47)
Substantial hardship was associated with mild (vs. none) symptoms (OR=2.92)
Financial well-being
@hernandez-perez2025: increases in financial hardship was related to decreased financial well-being (β=-0.43), controlling for sociodemographic variables
Depressive symptoms
@butterworth2009: increased financial hardship was related to greater risk of depression (OR=2.28), controlling for age, gender, dependent child, partner, physical function, education, employment status, childhood poverty and tenure
Loneliness
@alhomsi2023 found financial hardship was related to social isolation during COVID-19 pandemics:
Substantial hardship was related with very/fairly often (vs. never) isolation (OR=8.18)
Substantial hardship was associated sometimes/almost never (vs. never) (OR=3.11)
