Material hardship, perceived stress, and health in early adulthood

Abstract

Objective We examined the associations between material hardship and health outcomes in early adulthood, and the extent to which these associations are mediated by perceived stress. Methods We used Wave I & IV of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), a nationally representative survey of young adults aged 18 to 34 years old ( N =13,313). Multivariate logistic regression and decomposition methods were used to evaluate the associations between types and depth of material hardship (food, bill-paying and health resource hardship) and health outcomes (self-rated health, depression, sleep problems, and suicidal thoughts) in early adulthood, and the extent to which these associations were mediated by perceived stress. Results The adjusted odds of fair or poor health status, depression, sleep problems, and suicidal thoughts were higher among individuals with material hardship than counterparts without. A considerable proportion of the association between material hardship and health outcomes was attributable to perceived stress. Conclusions Material hardship is associated with adverse health outcomes in early adulthood, and these relationships are robust after accounting for various sociodemographic characteristics and family background. Perceived stress accounted for a sizable portion of the effects of material hardship on health. Public Health Implications Efforts to promote health equity in young adults should focus on material hardship and associated stressful conditions.

Pandemic-related experiences, mental health symptoms, substance use, and relationship conflict among older adolescents and young adults from Manitoba, Canada

“…Risk for the onset of internalizing mental health disorders, such as depression and anxiety ( Rapee et al, 2019 ), as well as substance use, including alcohol and cannabis ( Vega et al, 2002 ), is heightened during these formative years. As adolescents transition into early adulthood and assume greater responsibilities and obligations, it is common to experience additional stressors such as financial strain related to the insecurity of the labour market and economy, which can further contribute to poor health ( Huang et al, 2021 ; Institute of Medicine and National Research Council, 2014 ; Wood et al, 2018 ). Indeed, under the current context of the pandemic, young workers have experienced the largest declines in employment ( Gould and Kassa, 2020 ; Statistics Canada, 2020 ).…”

Housing, Living Arrangements and Mental Health of Young Adults in Independent Living

“…Young people are generally defined as those aged late teens to 24 [ 1 ]. They usually experience major transitions to adulthood in terms of education, employment and social identity that are likely to engender uncertainty about their future [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]. Yet, independent living, marriage and parenthood have increasingly been delayed among young adults in the face of the neoliberal labor market, and hence, the age threshold for the sociological notion of young people has been extended to the early 30s [ 5 ].…”

“…While private rental is the most common tenure type in the early stage of independent living, it has increasingly been challenging for young people to access adequate and affordable housing due to the constantly rising housing prices [ 6 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 ]. A growing body of research has reported on delayed homeownership [ 17 ], increased house sharing [ 18 ], frustrated housing prospects [ 19 ] and material hardship [ 2 ] among young people today. Previous research focusing on children, older persons and low-income families found that an inadequate housing environment, housing cost burden, being a renter and insecure tenancy are associated with poor mental health [ 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 ].…”

The central role of social support in the health of Chinese and Korean American immigrants

“…Therefore, we cannot rule out the possibility that the associations may be in the other direction—for example, poor SRH could increase stress, which then lowers social support. Although a majority of longitudinal studies find exposure to stress results in worsened health over time ( Huang et al, 2021 ; Moskowitz et al, 2013 ), research has also shown that poor health could itself be a major stressor, preceding more experiences of stress and distress ( Compas et al, 2012 ; Currie, 2009 ). Some studies also report that people who experience high levels of stress and distress have lessened social support as a result ( Platt et al, 2016 ; Thompson and Goodvin., 2016 ).…”