IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/jfamec/v37y2016i3d10.1007_s10834-016-9503-6.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

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

Author

Listed:
  • 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
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10834-016-9503-6
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10834-016-9503-6?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
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Joshua D. Angrist & Jörn-Steffen Pischke, 2009. "Mostly Harmless Econometrics: An Empiricist's Companion," Economics Books, Princeton University Press, edition 1, number 8769.
    2. John Iceland, 1997. "Urban labor markets and individual transitions out of poverty," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 34(3), pages 429-441, August.
    3. Ruggles, Patricia & Williams, Roberton, 1989. "Longitudinal Measures of Poverty: Accounting for Income and Assets over Time," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 35(3), pages 225-243, September.
    4. 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.
    5. repec:mpr:mprres:5685 is not listed on IDEAS
    6. Mary Jo Bane & David T. Ellwood, 1986. "Slipping into and out of Poverty: The Dynamics of Spells," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 21(1), pages 1-23.
    7. Rebecca M. Blank, 2001. "What Causes Public Assistance Caseloads to Grow?," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 36(1), pages 85-118.
    8. Peiyun She & Gina A. Livermore, 2007. "Material Hardship, Poverty, and Disability Among Working‐Age Adults," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 88(4), pages 970-989, December.
    9. 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.
    10. Stevens, Ann Huff, 1997. "Persistent Effects of Job Displacement: The Importance of Multiple Job Losses," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 15(1), pages 165-188, January.
    11. Signe‐Mary McKernan & Caroline Ratcliffe, 2005. "Events that Trigger Poverty Entries and Exits," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 86(s1), pages 1146-1169, December.
    12. Peiyun She & Gina A. Livermore, "undated". "Material Hardship, Poverty, and Disability Among Working-Age Adults," Mathematica Policy Research Reports fb2c5aebc38446e3ab7f48e96, Mathematica Policy Research.
    13. 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.
    14. Roderick Rose & Susan Parish & Joan Yoo, 2009. "Measuring Material Hardship among the US Population of Women with Disabilities Using Latent Class Analysis," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 94(3), pages 391-415, December.
    15. Nord, Mark & Parker, Lynn, 2010. "How adequately are food needs of children in low-income households being met?," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 32(9), pages 1175-1185, September.
    16. Patricia Ruggles & Roberton Williams, 1989. "Longitudinal Measures Of Poverty: Accounting For Income And Assets Over Time," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 35(3), pages 225-243, September.
    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. Jessica L. Arnup & Nicole Black & David W. Johnston, 2022. "Changes in children’s time use during periods of financial hardship," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 35(3), pages 1133-1162, July.
    2. 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.
    3. French, Declan, 2023. "Exploring household financial strain dynamics," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    4. 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.
    5. 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.
    6. Cai, Julie Yixia, 2021. "Earnings instability and child protection: Evidence from state administrative data," SocArXiv y825p, Center for Open Science.
    7. 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.
    8. 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.
    9. 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).
    10. 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.
    11. 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.
    12. Edmunds, Chrisse, 2020. "Academic failure and the role of early life course economic deprivation," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 108(C).
    13. 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.
    14. Gold, Sarah & Wagner, Brandon, 2022. "Acute care utilization and housing hardships in American children," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 136(C).
    15. Kim, Jaeseung & Henly, Julia R., 2021. "Dynamics of child care subsidy use and material hardship," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 124(C).
    16. 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).
    17. 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.
    18. 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.
    19. 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).
    20. 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.
    21. 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.

    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. 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.
    2. Roderick Rose & Susan Parish & Joan Yoo, 2009. "Measuring Material Hardship among the US Population of Women with Disabilities Using Latent Class Analysis," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 94(3), pages 391-415, December.
    3. repec:pri:crcwel:wp11-08-ff is not listed on IDEAS
    4. 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..
    5. Coleman-Jensen, Alisha & Nord, Mark, 2013. "Food Insecurity Among Households With Working-Age Adults With Disabilities," Economic Research Report 142955, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    6. Asena Caner & Ed Wolff, 2002. "Asset Poverty in the United States, 1984-1999: Evidence from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics," Microeconomics 0209002, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    7. Joan R Rodgers & John L Rodgers, 1991. "The Measurement of Chronic and Transitory Poverty: with Application to the United States," Economics Working Paper Archive wp_55, Levy Economics Institute.
    8. Catherine Pollak & Bernard Gazier, 2008. "L'apport des analyses longitudinales dans la connaissance des phénomènes de pauvreté et d'exclusion sociale : un survey de la littérature étrangère," Post-Print hal-00393322, HAL.
    9. Baorong Guo, 2011. "Household Assets and Food Security: Evidence from the Survey of Program Dynamics," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 32(1), pages 98-110, March.
    10. McKernan, Signe-Mary & Ratcliffe, Caroline & Braga, Breno, 2021. "The effect of the US safety net on material hardship over two decades," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 197(C).
    11. Marchand, J. & Smeeding, T., 2016. "Poverty and Aging," Handbook of the Economics of Population Aging, in: Piggott, John & Woodland, Alan (ed.), Handbook of the Economics of Population Aging, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 0, pages 905-950, Elsevier.
      • Marchand, Joseph & Smeeding, Timothy, 2016. "Poverty and Aging," Working Papers 2016-11, University of Alberta, Department of Economics, revised 20 Nov 2016.
    12. Ravallion, Martin & van de Walle, Dominique & Gautam, Madhur, 1995. "Testing a social safety net," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 57(2), pages 175-199, June.
    13. Peter Krause & Bruce Headey, 1995. "Rich and Poor: Stability or Change?: West German Income Mobility 1984-93," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 126, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
    14. Kimberly Bolch & Luis F. Lopez‐Calva & Eduardo Ortiz‐Juarez, 2023. "“When Life Gives You Lemons”: Using Cross‐Sectional Surveys to Identify Chronic Poverty in the Absence of Panel Data," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 69(2), pages 474-503, June.
    15. Nolan, Brian & Callan, Tim & Whelan, Christopher T. & Williams, James, 1994. "Poverty and Time: Perspectives on the Dynamics of Poverty," Research Series, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), number GRS166, June.
    16. Eamon, Mary Keegan & Wu, Chi-Fang, 2011. "Effects of unemployment and underemployment on material hardship in single-mother families," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(2), pages 233-241, February.
    17. Francisco Azpitarte, 2011. "Measurement and identification of asset-poor households: a cross-national comparison of Spain and the United Kingdom," The Journal of Economic Inequality, Springer;Society for the Study of Economic Inequality, vol. 9(1), pages 87-110, March.
    18. Shao-Hsun Keng & Steven B. Garasky & Helen H. Jensen, 1999. "Innovation at the State Level: Initial Effects of Welfare Reform in Iowa," Center for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD) Publications 99-wp232, Center for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD) at Iowa State University.
    19. Katie M. Jajtner & Sophie Mitra & Christine Fountain & Austin Nichols, 2020. "Rising Income Inequality Through a Disability Lens: Trends in the United States 1981–2018," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 151(1), pages 81-114, August.
    20. Rolf Aaberge & Magne Mogstad, 2006. "On the Definition and Measurement of Chronic Poverty," ICER Working Papers 36-2006, ICER - International Centre for Economic Research.

    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:kap:jfamec:v:37:y:2016:i:3:d:10.1007_s10834-016-9503-6. 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: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    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.